The Fallen
by Thepillows93
Summary: 1944. Eastern Europe. After suffering a great loss, Lieutenant Haruka Tenoh and her team retreat to a town for a doctor. There she meets a woman with aqua blue locks. what will happen When June 6th arrives? Epilogue up. Thanks.
1. Where are you doc?

**Here is the edited and revised chapter one! Thanks to reviews from Starscream and Spyder and even SmokyCity Sky. (at least he reviewed.) xD review answers are at the end of the chappy, so ya. review. :)**

**Summary: 1944. ** **Eastern Europe****. After suffering a great loss, Lieutenant Haruka Tenoh and her small group of men retreat to a town nearby the mission area looking for a doctor. Upon arriving she bumps into a woman with Aqua blue locks. But when June 6th arrives and Haruka is needed in her fated battle, a choice must be made. **

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**Where are you doc?**

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Running. She was running for her life. What could she do? She was trapped. Trapped like a rat in a cage. Running as fast as her legs could take her, she hopped fences. A dead end was coming. She knew it. But still, she didn't stop. Her legs moved mechanically. Not even stopping once for breath, she kept running and running. She was drenched in sweat, her vision almost blurred by the amount of water streaming out of her perspiring body. Her legs ached. She wanted to stop. She wanted to just stand there and be caught. But she didn't. Haruka Tenoh was far too proud to fall over like a dead dog. So she ran. 

Pleading, she hoped someone would call her. Someone would call out to her and radio her in. Someone reachable would be near by. Cursing herself as she kept running, she saw the woods in front of her. _A chance. _Quickening her pace, she used most of whatever energy she had left and pushed her way through branches and leaves into the safe-haven of the forest. As she continued, she felt the tiredness of her days coming back to her. She had made it a good 200 meters into the forest, but her legs couldn't take her any farther, feeling fatigue from almost 1hr. of sprinting. Her radio crackled, "Lieutenant Uranus, this is Beaver, do you copy?" She fell to her knees, "I repeat" the voice grew frantic, "Lieutenant, Beaver speaking, do you copy?" A scoff left her lips as she fell face first on the cold ground, "Haruka, it's Riley, talk to me! Haruka!"

Annoyed by the voice yelling at her as her efforts to fall asleep proved to be in vain, she slowly unlatched the large handheld radio from her belt and brought it up to her face, using as little energy as possible, "Took you guys long enough…" her breathing labored, she struggled to stay awake.

"Haruka! Where are you?"

"Somewhere in the woods by point…what was it…oh yeah…somewhere by Charlie…"

"Ok, hang on Lieutenant! We're sending Spidey and Rock to come and get you! Don't die on us sir! We'll receive an unsatisfactory grade from the Colonel if you do!"

She couldn't help but laugh, causing her sides to throb with pain, "Then you'd better hurry up…"

Static, "This is Private Langley speaking, codename Spidey, sir. Private Whittaker, codename Rock, and I are en route to your position sir. Hang on Lieutenant, please."

"Roger that…don't worry, I'll stay alive, what would you guys do without me after all?"

There was silence. All she wanted to do was fall asleep. She wanted to forget everything, her soldiers, her pains, and her life. She just wanted to fall asleep. Was that so much? She was about to succumb to wants when the thick accent of agitated Germans reached her ears, "Dammit, where did he go?"

Haruka's eyes shot open. Slowly and quietly lifting herself little by little, she tried to focus on the direction the voices were coming from, "Search the parameter, we don't want this bastard getting away." Listening to the shuffling of the feet, Haruka made out that there were three men, each carrying standard German MP40s with an average of 15 rounds left out of the beginning 32, and one extra magazine attached to their belts. Considering the sound made from the stomping of their boots, they were merely privates, the leader nothing but a corporal sent out by his Sergeant to clear the surrounding area with his two underlings. Their lack of knowledge for the battlefield didn't help them any either as they rushed about.

Haruka found them. They were about 100 meters west of her position. She peeked from a nearby bush and watched as they 'scouted' if anyone could even call it that, the area for her. Pulling out a worn Walther P38 she 'confiscated' from one of the enemy soldiers, she closed her left eye and looked dead ahead. Right in front of her was the most brutish of the three. Trying to keep her breathing and hand steady, she aimed. She waited until the other two parted from him, and he was left to keep watch. As she heard the rustling leaves to her left and right, she fired. The bullet went straight through the back of the burly man's head. He let out a choked sound and fell to the ground, knees first.

She took a deep breath and sighed, calming her nerves. Hearing the two other men come back, she had to quickly move her position. She quickly and silently made her way to her left, making sure to get a good look at the spot of where she last stood. Suddenly, she heard the voice of, who she thought was, the leader yelling, "Ivan! What happened?!"

Haruka listened closely as they continued their conversation, and as the man named Ivan spoke, "Evans sir! He's been shot! The enemy's near by and well enough to shoot, we shouldn't take him lightly."

"Look that way, the bullet came from that direction." His voice was low and menacing as he pointed to Haruka's old position. _Amateur indeed. _She held her right arm as she tried to calm it. The small recoil had been too much for it. She believed there to be a fracture here and there. There was a grunt in agreement as footsteps neared her.

Taking a deep breath, she lifted the pistol up with both hands once more and took aim straight in front of her, trying to keep it as simple as possible. As soon as the somewhat overweight form of the sluggish 'soldier' stepped through, Haruka sucked in a breath and pulled her trigger, sending the bullet through the soldier's jaw. Hearing the gunshot, Haruka could hear the leader's sharp intake of breath. She heard him curse, and heard as his breathing grew slow and fearful, "All right, where are you?! Show yourself! Fight like a man!"

Haruka watched as the man turned and turned, fear and nervousness etched deeply into his facial expressions. She smirked. She moved once more, to an opening to her left. From the bushes, she could see clearly the form of the almost skinny, almost fat man as he panicked. For the third time in less than 5 minutes, she lifted her pistol up yet again and aimed. A shot was fired.

Haruka felt limp. Her eyes were dazed. She could feel the darkness beginning to surround her. She watched as her now bleeding right arm trailed blood, and the sight of a rifle-man re-loading from her peripheral vision. _Shit. _But, more gunshots were heard as familiar voices reached her ears. She looked around for a while and found Langley and Whittaker taking out the enemy at a quick pace. That was the last she saw, before the long overdue sleep overtook her fatigued body, and the darkness filled her eyes.

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Awaking to the mutters and whispers of the soldiers in her brigade, Haruka reluctantly opened her eyes. She found herself being carried on a man-made stretcher. She groaned as she tried to get up. The man known as Whittaker turned to face her. He was a burly man. He had a goatee and short cropped hair. His muscles were big and he looked menacing enough, if only there wasn't that twinkle in his copper eyes. He was kind gentle, yet strong and firm. He was a good soldier, and a good friend, "Lieutenant, glad you're awake. We thought for sure those damn Germans had gotten you!"

Another man, lanky, bony, and overall small walked called out to her from behind the stretcher his fellow soldiers carried, "Yes sir, we thought for sure you were dead!" Langley, small and weak, but smart and agile. His movements were swift and pre-planned. He smiled that goofy smile as he propped his glasses back up with his middle and forefinger.

"Yeah, me too…" was the weak answer Haruka gave.

The surrounding 6 men around her all gave a hearty laugh as their Lieutenant sighed out loud and placed an arm over her face. That's when she noticed it. 6 men. 6 men were left in her company, she knew she started with 25. She sat up startled, causing the four men, including Whittaker, to almost drop her by the action, "Whoa Lieutenant, watch out, or we might be the death of you." Haruka looked at the soldier. He was about Whittaker's age. He was a man of tall stature, even a bit taller than herself, ten years older than her, being at the age of 33. He had medium length curly hair and eyes the color of the sky, his name, James Harbory, and Englishman who turned to America in hopes of finding a dream to pursue.

"What happened to everyone else?" She asked the question frantically, hoping not to hear what she thought she would. Everyone turned away from her and sighed, "Hey, what happened?!" She felt a hand on her shoulder. It was the hand of Yuu Ji Cho, or Yuji, as they liked to call him. He came to America from Korea, wanting to escape his family for reasons he had not enclosed. He was a few years older than Haruka, short and messed black hair, those common slanted eyes and a strong stature. The built man sighed. He carried his canteen in his left hand as his right squeezed Haruka's shoulder.

"They were lost. Teams D, B, and E did not respond, and our team, Team C, lost three in an ambush. Whittaker and I were the only survivors, luckily we were able to flank the enemy and attack from their blind spot. Unfortunately, Bear, Rowdy, and Snake didn't make it."

Haruka looked down, but grabbed her right arm as she realized it was pulsing uncontrollably. She rolled up her dark blue sleeve and found gauze atop of where her wound was. Blood was seeping through. A sixth man spoke up, "Ah shit, look what you've done Lieutenant! We warned you not to move so much, we could only patch it up with gauze until we got you to the nearest doctor, which won't be for another day or so if we walk!" Haruka weakly turned to face the man. He was short for his age of 30 and had a buzz cut. He frowned at her, his short forehead wrinkling into worry. Peter Kayman, the medic of the group.

Haruka smiled a faint smile, "Sorry, but really, I can walk on my own." The procession stopped and looked at each other, then at the smiling Haruka. Sighing, Whittaker, Riley, Cho, and Harbory lowered the self-made stretcher and let Haruka off. She slowly got off and bent her legs. All the fatigue she had felt from the last fight had gone away. She was fully refreshed, "Hey, how long was I out for?" The men all looked at each other, until Cho came out.

"Well sir, you were out for around a day or so, we even made camp as you slept."

Haruka grabbed her head. She walked around for a bit, wobbly at first. Then she stood straight up and finally took a gander at her surroundings. They were somewhere on field. The dust blowing in the wind nearly made Haruka choke from the dryness. The few plants and scarce amount of trees bordering the Mountains were the only sort of sanction Haruka and her team could find. Mountains were to the West of them, and the scent of the forest to their East. Haruka couldn't help but feel a little lost, the vastness of the land before her making her blink several times, "Hey Pete, how long did you say it would take to get to a town?"

"Hmm? You should ask Langley sir, he's the one who filled me in."

"Langley?"

"Well, I estimated the length of time it took us to get here from the base, and I specifically remember looking at the map before leaving. I believe there should be a rather small town about North West from here, if I calculated correctly, about a day's walk away. Not too far sir."

Haruka absently nodded as she looked into the direction of the tall mountains standing to her West, "Whittaker."

Whittaker walked to his commanding officer, "Yes?"

"What happened to your team's mission?"

"Fortunately sir, we completed our mission and diminished the Krauts' explosives quarry. Unfortunately, upon arriving to the extraction point, our transportation was ambushed and disposed of by a team of stragglers that we failed to pin point."

Deep in thought, Haruka closed her eyes and sighed, "All right, if Langley is right, then we should get a move-on, we all don't look so good." As she said that, she took a look at her men, bedraggled and weary. A few injuries were present also, mostly from running through bushes and trees. Though one particular sight caught her eye, she faced Cayman and inspected the splint she had failed to notice earlier, "Pete, what happened?"

Pete looked to where she was referring to, "Oh, this? This happened shortly after you parted from us to secure the outer perimeter of the warehouse. We were clearing the weapons cache like you commanded, but there were some guys that gave us some trouble. I ended up having to dodge out of the way of some bullets, but as you can see, I landed on my arm. I'm fine though, I shouldn't have any problems as long as I treat it properly. I don't even think I need a doctor's help. I'm fine."

Haruka faced the rest of her men, some stretching their shoulders, others taking off jackets to cool off, "Ok men, here's the deal. Once we get into town, we're gonna look for a doctor. You're all going to see him, understand? That's an order by the way."

The men looked at her skeptically before relenting and relaying a strong, "yes sir!" her direction. Haruka smiled proudly and looked to the North West.

"Well then, we shouldn't wait here for too long, we've got a long day to go."

Indeed they did. For most of the day, they walked, a few breaks here and there when they were lucky enough to find some shade. Their water ration ran out halfway into the day, each man already drinking up both their canteens full of water from the last river about a day ago. Night came slowly to them, and it was all so dreadful. They set up camp at the edge of the mountains, a few trees here and there, creating a decent place to sleep while outside.

Loud thumps were made as each man set down their small packs and curled up by the fire Haruka had made procured. Sighs of relief and groans were heard here and there as the men sat back and relaxed. Sure, it was cold as hell, but at least they were alive, "No dinner tonight men, we used the last of our rations at lunch, but don't worry, if we make good time in the morning, we just might be able to make it into town by mid-afternoon, where we can get some real food in our stomachs."

The night was quiet. Overcome by fatigue they passed out almost immediately after Haruka stopped talking. She herself felt the tiredness of the day getting to her. She yawned and laid back on her packs as she let the stars guide her to sleep.

--

Haruka woke up. The surroundings were still dark, the sun still set. Barely being able to see she stretched and rubbed her eyes. The fire had gone dead, and the cool breeze was giving her a joyous feeling. Wanting to make it into town before late afternoon, she woke her men, "All right guys! Time to get up, if we make good time, it'll be good weather on our way."

Slowly, the men got up and grumbled a bit here and there. Then, they heard them. Gunshots. Each man stopped what they were doing and looked at each other, grim looks matching those of the man opposite of them. They turned to Haruka, who gave them the sign to hush. She signaled them to follow her and swiftly she grabbed her pack and moved to a closed area behind some tress and bushes. They hid well, lying on their stomachs, guns in hand. Haruka watched cautiously through the top of the bush, being careful to hide her blonde hair with a spare shirt she had in her pack, blending her in with the tress and bushes nearby. She slowly and carefully re-loaded the P38 and blinked as a small group of Soviet soldiers made their way past her small brigade. There had to be no less than 15 soldiers in the group, more than twice her numbers. She perked up her ears as voices reached them.

"Those Americans are idiots! They should just roll over and die already!" Laughter was followed soon after as the men cheered their obvious victory over some unlucky brigade. Haruka looked over to her men who were injured and weary, yet ready to fight. Smiling sympathetically, she shook her head and pointed the direction to her backs, the direction to the nearest town.

One by one, they clenched their teeth, but relented, knowing their Lieutenant knew what was best. They crept along the dirt path on their stomachs and followed the wall of the mountain past a corner. As Haruka was about to round the corner, the German's voice made her ears perk up, "What was that?" the group turned the direction Haruka and her small group was going. Haruka's men looked back at her. She simply waved them away, a sign saying everything would be fine and to go on without her. They once more relented and went downwards to the wall and towards the town. Sighing, Haruka quietly slipped out of her jacket and into her black shirt. She did the most dangerous thing anyone could do. She stood up and faced the enemy. The soldiers turned to face her and pulled their firearms up, "Who's there?" the same man from before shouted, his handgun held to the direction of her head.

Haruka took a deep breath, "It's just me, Alfred, my commanding officer told me to come here if we were separated." the soldier looked at her seemingly nonchalant eyes and squinted. He tensed for a second, but nodded to the rest of his troop to drop their guard.

"I see. Who's your commanding officer?"

Haruka's trained mind quickly registered the name of a Captain she was told to watch out for in the battlefield, "Lieutenant Alois Alexander."

"I understand. You're free to join us if you wish. We're heading up to the base camp up past the next town."

Haruka was a damn good actor, she scratched the back of her head and placed her other hand on her waist, giving the ground a quizzical look, "I think I'll wait a day more for some people to join me here. Might I get your name? You know, if I need clearance or something."

"Suit yourself, and just ask for Anton. They'll know."

With those words, he walked off, the rest of his brigade in tow. Haruka saluted him and waited for his silhouette to disappear in the morning darkness. Sighing with relief, she headed the direction her men had gone, expecting them to be long gone by now. Instead, she was crowded by her men, who said nothing, for which she was thankful for. The rest of the trip was uneventful, thankfully, and as Haruka promised, they arrived at the town about mid-afternoon.

"Finally! Civilization!" Whittaker yelled as he neared the town.

The seven soldiers all cheered and hooted as they made their way into town. The first place the men went was the bar, of course. Haruka, though, had decided on another course of action, "I'll meet you all here later, I'll bring you for your check-up once I find the doctor." They all waved her off, something they close to never did, as they watched the bar keep pour them drinks. Haruka shook her head and walked out. When they entered, Haruka noticed the eyes on them. She shrugged them off and kept on walking. She closed her eyes, her left arm supporting her right. Suddenly, a squeal and bump made her eyes open.

Upon opening her eyes, she could only catch a glimpse of aquamarine locks. Confused, she looked down to find she had accidentally knocked down a young woman around her age. Realizing how rude she had just been, Haruka knelt down, "I'm sorry miss, are you ok?" She reached her left hand out to the fallen woman and a sorry smile graced her features. The smaller woman, dressed in a simple white and blue dress with floral patterns here and there took the hand gently and lifted herself up with the help of Haruka.

"Oh please, don't worry about it, I should watch where I'm going sometimes." She looked up at Haruka a smile on her face. She was beautiful. Her wavy hair hugged her face nicely as the feminine, soft, and definitely tantalizing features of her face was accentuated by the rays of the sun. She displaced her hair behind her left ear and held out her hand to Haruka, "Thank you."

Lost in a daze, Haruka was slow to answer, "Oh, of course." She gently landed a kiss on the back of the woman's hand. She giggled.

"I hope you well, especially with being a soldier and all."

Haruka knew that she should ask where the doctor's was, but she was too busy looking at this girl, no, angel in front of her that she was speechless. Haruka could only nod as the girl walked down the street, her movements graceful, yet firm. She was delicate, but somewhere in there, a woman just as strong as Haruka herself lay. _Her name…damn…ah well, _Haruka kept on walking aimlessly down the street, a few pedestrians here and there, _now, to find that doctor…_

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**Spyder – Hey, thanks a bunch for your review. I really appreciate what you said. I didn't realize how half-assed I'd been writing this story until you reviewed. I read it and I felt disgust churning in the pit of my stomach. xD I edited the writing and changed the setting, and the story to match up with WWII more. Thanks for your review and It'd be super awesome if you kept reviewing. 8) (and your right, the russian was stupid. I realized it was just a waste of my time. --")**

**Starscream – I also want to thank you. Thanks to you, I've decided to match things up with WWII's timeline. I'm trying to get my hands on a copy of "Saving Private Ryan" but so far, I've got no time to go anywhere, which is why I'm writing. xD I've done a little research and gotten a little more background, hopefully along the course of the story, I'll be able to do it correctly. Thanks for your review and you too! Review again and reprimand me for bad writing xD**

**Huuuuuuuuuuuuge thanks to Spyder and Starscream again xD couldn't have done it without you guys, though I'm sure you'll catch grammatical and historical errors all over the place. Sorry. I tried my best.**


	2. Small Town Doctor

**Revised and prettified. I hope. Here's the new chapter two (it's like the same thing, except the changes about Russians, weapons, Germans, and some grammar fixings here and there and maybe some plot changes as well.)**

**Thanks to reviewers so far and please guys, review! How would I know how my revisions went? xD thanks.**

**Summary: 1944. ** **Eastern Europe****. After suffering a great loss, Lieutenant Haruka Tenoh and her small group of men retreat to a town nearby the mission area looking for a doctor. Upon arriving she bumps into a woman with Aqua blue locks. But when June 6th arrives and Haruka is needed in her fated battle, a choice must be made. **

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**Small Town Doctor**

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Small. That was the one word that Haruka could use to describe this secluded town, seemingly almost in the middle of nowhere. As she looked around, she noticed the lack of cars around. With a town like this, everything was nearly a walk away. The tall brick buildings of homes and business offices were all so empty. The dusty stone road and sidewalk made the heel of her military issued boots thump with each step. In the street, there was nothing. A car would pass by every 10 minutes or so, and on the sidewalk, only a few small children and socializing adults were present. Haruka began to like this town even more. First of all, she met a beautiful woman here, and it was comfortably quiet for the most part.

She was so lost in her thoughts that she hadn't noticed a small child call out to her, "Excuse me Mister…" she hadn't paid any attention until she felt tugging at the bottom of her worn camouflaged cargos.

Upon looking down, she was met with the sight of a small boy with long and messy hair. He wore brown shorts and a long sleeve dress shirt, a small teddy bear in his left hand. Looking closely, she saw that he was crying. Her eyes went wide, "Hey now, what's wrong little one?" she crouched down to his level, ignoring the pain in her legs.

"I—my--sister…I…I lost my sister…" He began crying once more. Haruka looked around the street, trying to see if anyone looked like they had just lost a little brother. Finding no one matching that description, Haruka placed a hand atop the boy's head.

"Ok, tell you what we're gonna do. I'll help you find your sister, if you tell me your name." She smiled.

The boy stopped crying enough to be able to nod, "Thank you…my name's Hiro." _Hiro? So, a Japanese boy huh? I never would have thought…_

"Ok Hiro," she took the smaller boy's unoccupied hand, "First of all, where did you lose your sister?" She looked down at the small child as he pointed to a corner farther down the street, "Well then, we should start there."

The pair began to walk. Haruka noted that the boy had stopped crying by now, and instead was using his right arm to cuddle into his teddy bear. _Heh, he's pretty cute. _Haruka smiled. She looked up again, only to find disapproving eyes looking at her. Thanks to her trained sense of hearing, she could catch a bit of what a plump woman was saying to her husband, "Look at that, a soldier. He doesn't look like a high ranking soldier either. If we don't watch out, he and his little group of men'll attract enemy soldiers here! I say, do something Frederic!" The rest of the conversation, Haruka had decided to ignore. All around her, with the few people around, she heard whispers and gossips, some even mentioning how sorry they felt for Hiro.

Haruka continued to ignore them and instead focus on her destination. Sure, soldiers in small towns were putting the townspeople in peril, but really, no one was going to stop by in such a small and insignificant town like this. Thinking about it, she didn't even know what the town's name was. She was pulled out of her thoughts when a small tug on her arm reached her. She looked down to see the boy pointing at the other side of the street to a rounded corner outside of a grocery store. Haruka nodded at him and headed towards the corner.

Looking left and right first, they crossed the street. Upon arriving at the grocery store, Haruka once more looked around. Her arm was throbbing with pain now; she realized that the pain killers that her soldiers had given her had worn out. Ignoring it, she opened the grocery door and looked inside. The man at the counter gave her a slanted gaze, but didn't do anything to stop her. Business was business after all. Haruka looked around the small store and found vegetables on the side nearest to the door, and things like canned foods on the other side. The ten isle store packed with cans, bags, and other such items was by no means large at all.

Scanning the isles for a young woman, who Haruka realized she didn't know what she looked like, Haruka and the boy ended up coming out of the maze of isles empty handed. Hearing whimpers, Haruka looked down to her left, Hiro was at the edge of tears. His nose was running and his eyes began to get watery. Beginning to panic, Haruka kneeled down once more, flinching at the pain in her legs, and grabbed Hiro's shoulders gently, "Come on now, don't give up. I'm sure we'll find her. Hey," She lifted Hiro's chin with her left forefinger, "I'll bet she's really worried about you right now. We'd better find her fast, we don't want her to be sad now do we?" she smiled gently.

Hiro wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his teddy bear occupied arm and managed a smile up at Haruka, "No…I don't want sister to be sad…"

Haruka patted the top of his head, "Well good, 'cause I don't want her to be sad either. Did you know it's bad for a boy to make a girl sad? If you do that, then you'll never grow up to be a real man. You'll be a little boy forever. Do you want that? You won't be able to play with the big kids when they run and play big boy sports." Haruka looked at him skeptically.

Hiro wiped the tears out of his eyes with more confidence this time, "No! I won't make girls sad! Ever! I have to find sister so she isn't sad." He smiled up at her, and she smiled back, her face beaming with pride. _Good kid. _With the end of that, they walked out of the grocery store and stood on the sidewalk for a while. _Man, where could this girl be? _Upon saying that thought, she heard panicked shouts.

"Please, anyone, has anyone seen my little brother?"

Haruka looked around the corner, where the voice originated from. Looking down, she saw a young girl, no more than seventeen years old. She had flowing auburn hair that was up in a pony tail with a cleaning bandana holding it up. She wore a white and brown plain dress and she was hurriedly going from person to person, frantically asking the same thing each time. She was in such a rush; she almost dropped her groceries from time to time. Realizing that this person was most likely the one she was looking for, Haruka looked down at Hiro, whose face was one of pure joy, "Is she your sister Hiro?" Haruka pointed to the frantic girl running around. Hiro nodded.

Haruka squeezed his hand and walked towards the girl. She was in the middle of asking a stubby man when she caught the sight of Haruka and Hiro from her peripheral vision. As she turned to face them, Haruka let go of Hiro's hand and pushed him onward. Smiling, she watched the interaction, not because she was waiting for a thanks, but because she was merely interested in the end factor of her efforts. Hiro ran up to his sister, who nearly started crying. She knelt down and opened her arms to him, "Hiro! Hiro! Thank the Lord!" she kissed him over and over again. Hiro simply hugged his elder sister and received the acts of affection.

Haruka turned around and smiled in satisfaction. She was about to walk away when she heard quick footsteps running towards her. Soon after, a pair of small arms wrapped themselves around her waist. She looked down to find Hiro clutching onto her pant leg, "Look mister! I made sister happy, not sad! I'm gonna grow up to be a big boy right?"

Haruka smiled down at the boy and once more patted the top of his head, "Of course. You just have to keep making her happy by listening to her and helping out, and of course, she tickled him, not getting lost." He laughed and she smiled even more. It was then that Haruka noticed the girl walking up to her. She held out her hand and Haruka gladly shook it.

"Thank you. You must be the one who helped Hiro find me. I'm grateful."

"Not a problem, he's a good kid. I'm Tenoh Haruka by the way."

"Mr. Tenoh then. I'm sorry, where are my manners. I'm Himegawa Hana. I see you're from Japan yourself."

Haruka smiled that heart melting smile, appearing to be oblivious to the strong pain in her arm, and the growing ones in the rest of her body, so it was finally catching up to her, "Yep, I came here to join the army, well I already did, as you can see." She laughed.

Hana smiled faintly and blushed at the handsome man in front of her. He was young, a soldier, and so kind, he was perfect. She looked at him. He had broad shoulders, a tall stature, and short blonde hair that was dirtied due to a recent battle, she decided. When looking at his face, he seemed so feminine, yet handsome like any man would be, just a little more to the beautiful side.

"Are you all right Hana?" worry, clear in Haruka's tone.

Hana looked up, "Y-yes, I'm fine." She answered back, nearly stuttering fully.

"If you say so." Her look deceived her words.

"Really I a-am."

A thought then snapped in Haruka's mind, "That's right, do you think you could show me where the doctor's building is? I'm a little beat up from my mission."

"Of course. I'll take you. It's not very far from here, just a few blocks and we'll be there."

With that, Hana took Hiro's hand and began walking down the street, Haruka to her left. Haruka looked around, then at Hana, who's cheeks were still the slightest shade pink, "Hana-san, are you sure you're all right?"

Hana once more turned to face Haruka, a bit too jumpy, "O-Of course! I'm fine, just still getting over the shock of losing Hiro…" She felt bad for using her brother as an excuse to hide her embarrassment around the tall blonde, but she'd reprimand herself about it later.

Haruka looked at the girl skeptically, "If you say so…"

Hana kept on walking, her eyes glued on the road, "Don't worry, and I—want to thank you again." She forced herself to look up at Haruka, who looked questioningly at her; she looked down once more, "For helping Hiro. I don't know what I would've done if I hadn't found him, and also, what would happen to him without me. You see, Hiro has a weak heart. He's prone to attacks at any time, when he can fall over. We know the doctor well, Hiro has visited countless times for his condition check up, though there's not much anyone can do. The doctor is very kind, you will like her."

Haruka propped her eyebrows up in surprise, "A woman?"

"Yes, don't worry; she's a great doctor, good with her hands and helping people.

"Oh no! Don't take it like that, I was merely surprised." _Maybe I might keep my secret after all. _

Hana smiled and Haruka followed suit. It wasn't long before they appeared in front of a decent sized building. Two floors. The brick building was in good shape, there was a small garden in front of the porch steps and a welcome mat was placed in front of the door. Hana instructed Haruka to ring the doorbell, "She's most likely in. She doesn't go out much. Such a shame really, she's a beautiful woman. I must take Hiro home and give him his medication. I hope to see you around Mr. Tenoh."

Hiro walked up to her and smiled a great beaming smile, "Haruka-papa! You'll come visit won't you?" Smiling at her nickname, Haruka turned to Hana. She giggled, but nodded.

"Of course Hiro, I'll come visit as soon as I get fixed up. I promise." Hiro smiled and trotted back to his sister.

"Well, we'll be awaiting your visit Mr. Tenoh." Hana did the traditional Japanese thing and bowed. She then walked away.

Haruka then remembered where she was. She walked up to the door and rang the doorbell as told. She waited for a few seconds as footsteps grew louder to the door. When then door opened, Haruka couldn't believe what she saw. It was her. Her aquamarine hair was down like earlier. But this time, she wore a much simpler white dress. Her ocean deep eyes were in surprise as well; her hands clasped in front of her, a real lady, "Well if this isn't a surprise."

Haruka smiled, "I should be saying that."

The woman smiled and held out her right hand, "Kaioh Michiru. It's a pleasure to actually meet you."

"Tenoh Haruka, and the pleasure is all mine." Without thinking, Haruka attempted to raise her right arm as well, but instead ended up groaning and flinching in pain. She then held her right arm.

Michiru looked a bit worried, "Oh dear, your arm doesn't seem all that well, please, come inside."

Haruka did as she was told and walked into the house. The house was cozy. A small living room with a couch placed to the left by the wall, and a little coffee table placed in front of it. Paintings surrounded the room; there were ones of oceans, beaches, people, and even ones of battle, loss, and depression. Haruka looked around the room, amazed, "These paintings are beautiful."

"Thank you;" she closed the front door, "I'm glad you like them." Her eyes lingered on the paintings on the wall.

Haruka turned to her, "You painted all these?" She watched as the woman nodded, "You're extremely talented miss. Why aren't you a famous painter, instead of a doctor in such a small town like this?"

Michiru giggled, "I don't know. I grew up here. Since this town is as small as you say, everyone here is almost like family. I know almost everyone here. I guess I feel safe here." She smiled and walked up to Haruka, who, unknown to her, started sweating a bit due to the close contact, "All right then, let's take a look at this."

Michiru placed her hands on Haruka's shoulder, making her gulp, and pushed the large and heavy military jacket off of her shoulders. Haruka held her breath. Michiru then reached down to her waist, where she began to lift up her shirt in a slow, almost sensual manner. Haruka's brain then woke up.

"Wait." She grabbed Michiru's hands as they were about to lift up her shirt.

"What's wrong," she giggled, "Are you shy? Don't worry, everything is confidential between doctor and patient." She continued to remove the shirt.

Haruka was going to protest, but decided to keep her mouth shut. She turned away. As Michiru lifted the shirt up to her breast, Michiru noticed the gauze. Pulling the shirt the rest of the way off of her head, Michiru took a closer look, breasts. Michiru looked shocked at the gauzed covered Haruka at first, but then started to laugh. Haruka snapped her head up to the laughing angel. She laughed very subtly. Small movements of her shoulder as her right hand made its way to her mouth. Haruka looked at her weirdly, "Aren't you shocked? Disturbed? Angry maybe?"

Michiru managed to calm down her laughing a bit, "Shocked? Yes. Disturbed and angry? No."

Haruka didn't understand, "Look, you know now. But no one else can. Only the men in my brigade know about this, and it took a long time for them to get over it, but they came around and kept my secret. If anyone finds out about a woman in the army, a Lieutenant no less, I'll lose my job in a blink of an eye."

Haruka could find nothing funny about her situation, yet here was Michiru, laughing, "Forgive me Ms. Tenoh" her laughter began to subside, "But when I first bumped into you, I thought I felt something a man shouldn't have. I ignored it, but I guess I was right. Don't worry. I'll keep your secret."

Watching Michiru closely, Haruka closed her eyes and sighed. She just stood there for a little while, until the pain in her arm brought her back. She flinched. Michiru noticed this and resumed her close contact; "Thank you…" was all Haruka could whisper as she neared once more. Michiru left the bindings on her breasts and instead moved on to the messily applied gauze on her right arm.

After removing it, she was a bit shocked, "Ms. Tenoh"

"Just Haruka."

"Well then, Haruka, how long have you had this wound?" Her voice looked worried as she looked at the bullet wound in her arm, scanning it.

"A bit more than two days, why?"

Michiru walked into a small room adjacent to the sofa and came back with a wet towel. She applied the towel to the wound, and slowly began to clean it, "It doesn't look like it's been treated very well. If you're lucky, you might not have an infection, but from the looks of this, I just don't know."

Haruka flinched at the wet cloth rubbing around her wound. She flinched more than once. She watched as Michiru carefully cleaned at her wound. She looked so focused on her work, but she didn't like the way her face was scrunched up, filled with worry. She smiled, "You know, you should smile more." Michiru looked up, "You look so worried, you should smile." Haruka flashed the girl her own smile.

Michiru smiled, "You're right." She finished cleaning the wound, and instructed Haruka to go into the white room, opposite from the couch. Haruka did as she was told and sat on the medical bed she found in the room. Looking around, she found small counters, a sink and lots of tools and bottles of medicine, such as penicillin and others. Sh looked at some of the operating tools and shivered.

Michiru soon came in. She brought in a glass for water and placed it on a nearby counter. Smiling, she approached Haruka, "Well, I don't know whether to call it lucky, or unlucky, both sides have a negative to them. The bullet pierced through, so nothing's lodged in your bones. But the wound now has two entrances, in which you have to be careful with. I only cleaned the front side, but I need to clean the back."

Haruka nodded and swung her legs to the other side of the medical table. She heard Michiru walk over to the sink and wet a clean cloth. She heard her as she walked up to her and placed the wet cloth upon her throbbing wound. Slowly, she dragged the cloth gently around the wound, being sure to get all the critical spots. Haruka did her best not to groan in pain. Soon, Michiru finished cleaning the wound. She observed it for a moment, sighing, she got up, "What is it?" Haruka asked it worriedly.

"Don't worry; it was a sigh of relief. You don't have an infection, which is a miracle really. I'll patch it up."

"Thanks…" Just when Haruka finished talking a surge of pain coursed through her body. She grunted heavily and was beginning to lose her line of sight, "Miss Ka-Kaioh…I feel…"

Michiru turned from the sink and faced the unbalanced Haruka, "Haruka?" She rushed over to Haruka's side, "Haruka! What's wrong?" She grasped Haruka as she was about to fall over. She placed one hand on her back and the other on her chest. With that, Haruka's eyes closed and she passed out, "Haruka!"

Michiru was at a loss. Then, a thought occurred to her. She placed a hand on Haruka's forehead and felt it. Her temperature was burning up. Hastily, Michiru laid Haruka carefully down on the medical bed and went to the counter. There, she grabbed yet another cloth. She turned the faucet to the coldest and let it wet the cloth. She folded the cloth and placed it on Haruka's forehead. _A fever…_

--

The scent of food drifted Haruka's eyes open. Looking around she found herself lying in an unfamiliar room. She was on a bed, not her own. The windows were closed, but no light shone through the cracks of the drapes, and the outline of a bright object shone through. A small dresser was to her left, the door adjacent to it. The window was placed right across from the bed, and a small desk was to her right, the chair moved to the side of the bed. On the table, Haruka could see a bowl of water and a cloth. She also saw rolls of gauze, clean and dirty. She tried to get up, but her head throbbed, so instead, she fell back on the soft quilts under her. She closed her eyes and placed her good arm over her eyes as she tried to regain her piece of mind.

The sound of the doorknob made her snap her head to her left. Following the snap, the scent of soup wafted around the room. Michiru entered; a bowl of warm broth and water on a tray in her hands. Haruka looked over to her. She turned around and closed the door. When she turned back around, she lifted her eyebrows to find Haruka awake, "Well Good evening."

"Good evening…Miss Kaioh."

Michiru smiled and walked around the bed to the desk. Placing the tray on the desk she turned her head to Haruka, "Are you hungry? I fixed some warm soup for you."

Haruka was at a loss for words, she cooked for her, "Yes…thank you."

Still smiling, Michiru turned to Haruka, "Do you think you can sit up?"

Haruka nodded a bit reluctantly, remembering her recent trial. Taking a deep breath, she pushed herself up, slowly. Noticing Haruka's uneasiness, Michiru placed a hand on her back and helped her sit up, "Sorry…" Haruka turned a slight pink.

Michiru giggled, "It's all right. You don't need to rush."

Smiling weakly, Haruka sat up straight. Michiru placed her pillows behind her, serving as a back rest. She then brought the bowl of soup and spoon and placed it in front of Haruka. Taking it gratefully, Haruka began eating. Michiru just watched as Haruka downed the whole bowl quickly, mostly due to her nervousness. Wiping her mouth, Haruka looked at Michiru, "Thank you. You don't know how thankful I am." As she let those words escape her lips, the door burst open.

Startled, she faced the direction of the noise. When she faced the door a horde of soldiers raided her. It was her troop. They all looked much cleaner though. They no longer sported their mission garb, but slacks and dress shirts. Michiru smiled, amused at the affection the soldiers had for Haruka. While the rest were still whooping and yelling happily, Whittaker actually spoke words, "Glad to see you're ok Lieutenant. When we first heard from Miss Kaioh that you passed out we were worried sick!"

Pushing the large Whittaker, Cho, a bright smile on his face, was next, "Definitely! Thankfully, you're ok! I was so nervous I nearly dropped you when we carried you up here." He placed a palm on his forehead.

Haruka looked questioningly at Michiru. Michiru only smiled and said, "Well, while in the midst of finding a way to carry you up here about an hour after you passed out, they rang the doorbell. They were a bit drunk, but were nice enough." Haruka looked menacingly at her men. They all shrugged and/or laughed nervously, "Don't worry; once I told them about your condition, they all nearly sobered up completely. I got them to help me by carrying you up here."

Kayman spoke up, "Miss Kaioh sure is a nice lady. No matter how we tried to refuse and say we'll go find something to eat on our own, she kept saying it was ok, and she ended up cooking for all of us!"

Haruka looked incredulously at Michiru, "Miss Kaioh…I don't know what to say."

"Don't say anything, Hana paid me a visit a little after you passed out, she told me all about how you helped little Hiro find her. I was already happy to help you, but at that moment, I felt like I owed it to you. Those two are the closest to me. So I should thank you."

At that moment, their eyes locked. If only for a second, complete and utter warmth spread throughout Haruka's body. Langley's voice brought them back to reality, "Ok, since the Lieutenant's better, Lets all go drinking!" He pumped his fist in the air.

The other men were all cheering and hooting, and Haruka was about to answer when Michiru spoke up, "Well then, have fun all of you, but Lieutenant Tenoh will stay here with me. She is in no condition to go anywhere."

Riley then popped out from the back, "Aww, Miss Kaioh, she's perfectly fine!"

They all started to whine, even Haruka started, "Miss Kaioh, really, I'm fine." She smiled and attempted to get up, but her headache only got worse. She plopped back down.

Michiru smiled triumphantly, yet ladylike, "Exhibit A."

"Are you sure you'll be all right boss? I mean, if we leave you here…I kinda feel bad." Cho rubbed the back of his neck.

Haruka chuckled and waved them off, "Don't worry, really. I'll be fine."

With that, they all reluctantly filed out of the room. Whittaker left last leaving a, "Get better soon sir…" as his farewell.

Haruka took a deep breath and let it out, "They must be a handful on the field." Michiru got up from the chair and took Haruka's bowl and handed her the water with some pills. Haruka took the water and pills, quickly downing them. Taking a deep breath she placed the glass on her lap, which Michiru also took.

"You know," Haruka began, "You don't have to do this. I can find an Inn and stay there. I don't want to be in the way."

Michiru sighed, "You're not in the way. Besides, if you didn't recover properly, Hiro would have a fit! He seems to have taken a quick liking to you." She smiled at her. Haruka felt so content. Michiru was so beautiful and kind.

"Well, I'm grateful to you, also, I noticed you fixed up Pete's arm with real medical treatment. Everybody else seemed well enough too."

Michiru laughed, "The treatment was easy, it was the shopping that was hard. If they walked around in their dirty army garb all day long, they'd get infections! Honestly, it was like taking a bunch of five years old to the tailor."

Haruka laughed, "They can be like that, sorry for the trouble."

"I had fun. They seem like a good group of people, and you're lucky to have them with you." _Not as lucky as I am right now…_

"I'm glad to hear that." Haruka yawned.

"You're tired. You should get some rest." Before Haruka could do anything, Michiru leaned down and placed her forehead against her own heated one. After a few seconds she parted, "Your fever went down a lot, but there's still a bit of warmth radiating from your cheeks…" Luckily for Haruka, she failed to notice the slight blush that appeared on her face after the close contact.

"Thank you again, and good night." Was the weak answer Haruka gave before submitting into the darkness called sleep.

Michiru went to the door and turned off the light, stealing one last glimpse of the woman who made her skin tingle with contact. Sighing, she whispered, "Good night." And closed the door behind her.

* * *

**There you have it. Chapter 2. And please guys, REVIEW. I really want to know what you think of this story, whether, "It sucks ass go cry in a corner" I don't care, just please please let me know how I'm doin' thanks. ******** You know, I have two intentions with this story: **

**1 – People read this story, they like it, then actually read my author's notes and goes to read MIA by Fallen-Soldier and reviews both my story and his and whines at him to update already.**

**2 – Fallen-Soldier is reading this (hi) and goes "omgwtf ur ripping off of my story" and gets angry, forcing him to update. ******

**3 - scratch that, I have three reasons, the third is so that people will love me. 8)**

**I know you do.**

**Thanks guys, and remember READ AND REVIEW :D**


	3. Sick

**Here's chapter 3, like I promised I got it up along with the edited ch.1 and 2. I actually had to edit this chapter too because I had already written it. Well thanks to anyone who reviews and I hope you review this chapter! A/N at the end of the chappy. (thanks to starscream and Spyder) i can't say that enough, your A/N are at the end of the first chapter if you care lol.**

**Summary: 1944. ****Eastern Europe****. After suffering a great loss, Lieutenant Haruka Tenoh and her small group of men retreat to a town nearby the mission area looking for a doctor. Upon arriving she bumps into a woman with Aqua blue locks. But when June 6th arrives and Haruka is needed in her fated battle, a choice must be made. **

* * *

**Sick**

* * *

Haruka struggled to go back to sleep as she felt the sun's rays peeking through the slits in the curtains. Mumbling incoherently, she gave up. Slowly turning to face the ceiling, she sighed. Looking in front of her, she saw how the sun was desperately trying to go straight through the small light blue curtains. Turning to her right, she noticed that the water bowl, chair, and towel had been cleaned up. Looking down, she found that someone had redressed her in light brown shorts that had been cut from slacks and a white undershirt. The only thing that seemed uncomfortable was the worn gauze on her right arm. 

Carefully, she sat up with a groan. She took both her arms and attempted to flex and stretch them. She tried fully stretching her right arm up, then to the right, and up again, repeating the process many times until her arm tired and she stopped. Sighing, Haruka plopped back on the bed, fatigue still lingering within her. She took deep breaths. Her chest rose and fell steadily as she tried to push the tiredness out of her body. Haruka couldn't help but try to sleep again as the pain and exhaustion over took her.

As she almost fell asleep, she could hear the faint sound of a melody. The tune was so…calm, like the ocean. Haruka couldn't help but keep her eyes half-open and listen to it some more. She then closed her eyes, telling herself she'd hear it better if she did. She heard the exact same volume, yet the beauty of the rhythm increased greatly as the surroundings gradually disappeared. Deciding she wanted to find the source, Haruka opened her eyes and prepared herself. Steadily, she propped herself up on her arms once more. Taking a few seconds to breathe, Haruka then pushed herself and swung her legs over the side of the bed. Slowly, she stood. Her head hurt a little, but she ignored it for the most part, intent on getting closer to the beautiful sound.

Once standing steadily, Haruka took a deep breath. She walked over to the door, her headache subsiding a little bit. She opened it, and the melody grew louder. Now, she could tell that the instrument responsible for this magnificent voice was none other than a violin. The question now was who?

Haruka carefully crept down the hall to the stairs to her right. Looking down from the railing, she found Michiru swaying in the middle of the living room, tables and other decorative objects moved out of the way, creating an open area where she could freely move.

In awe, Haruka watched as Michiru graced the floor with her presence and her music. She moved so fluidly, each movement in completely trace to the one previous of it. The soft smile on her face was nothing less of unbearably gorgeous, and the way her feet lightly tapped the floor with each step was so angelic Haruka felt herself flutter up to Heaven. Her light blue dress shook, corresponding to her sways and turns. The sound of the violin was so calming. Haruka wanted to fall asleep right there. The melody wasn't happy, or sad, but it was mellow. A song of peace.

Haruka let out a long held breath and nearly fell over when Michiru's deep blue eyes met her own hazy green ones. Silence reigned over the room for a few seconds as the two women found nothing to do or say as each other's stares blanked their minds. Michiru broke the silence with a smile and a, "Good morning Haruka."

Haruka too broke from the trance, "Michi-Miss Kaioh. Good morning. You play the violin beautifully."

Michiru looked at her violin, "Thank you, and just Michiru. Miss Kaioh makes me feel old." She giggled, "But, what are you doing out of bed?"

Haruka shrugged and smiled, "I'm fine, really." She flexed around her right arm and walked around a bit. She was so lost in her thoughts as she did this that she almost fell over. Michiru nearly dropped her violin, but Haruka got up easily and faintly smiled.

"Well, wait there. I'll walk with you. Let me put my violin away first."

"Michiru, really, you've done too much for me already. If you can show me where my uniform is, I'd be willing to leave you to your life."

Michiru laughed a bit as she put her violin away, "Do you hate my company that much?"

"Not at all, but I'd hate to be a bother to you any longer. You've done so much for me already."

"You need to stop with all this bothering me nonsense. It's…well, nonsense." She laughed again.

"I can't, you've done so much, yet I haven't done a thing for you."

"You're so formal," she began the short trek up the creaky wooden stairs, "You shouldn't be so uptight Lieutenant." She sighed and took hold of Haruka's good arm, supporting her.

"I'm a soldier. You should expect no less." Haruka smiled weakly, her mind mainly focused on walking down the stairs without stumbling.

They were quiet as they walked down the stairs, Haruka finding it incredibly hard to concentrate on such a tiny wooden step. Finally making it downstairs, Haruka made it to the small kitchen table to her right with ease. Sitting down, she sighed. Michiru walked over to the stove and started it, "I'm telling you, you need to stay in bed. It's a doctor's order." She cracked some eggs over a frying pan.

Haruka tried to keep her body moving, doing arm stretches, tapping her foot, to keep her body from getting any weaker, "Don't worry. I'm fine. I just feel a little…tired…that's all."

Michiru opened the refrigerator and pulled out some bacon. The sound of that well known sizzle filled the room, "You're so stubborn…if you don't mind me saying."

"No I don't mind, but I must say, you're quite stubborn yourself."

Michiru smiled to herself as she flipped the eggs and bacon, stopping to add bread to her concoction, "You're right, but I'm stubborn for a good reason. I'm a doctor."

"I suppose so."

Michiru grabbed two plates from a pantry to her left and placed equal rations of eggs, bacon, and toast on the plates. Turning off the stove, she took the two plates and placed one in front of Haruka, "You need to eat. You'll only feel weaker if you don't."

With no need to tell her twice, Haruka began to dig into her breakfast hungrily. Already going through almost half of her breakfast, Haruka realized how rude she must have looked and faced an amused Michiru placing her fork down after taking a bite of eggs and toast. Swallowing, Haruka rubbed the back of her head, "Sorry, I'm so used to eating like a pig when I haven't eaten well in a long time. Army habits."

Michiru shook her head in amusement, "It's all right, I'm glad I have someone to entertain me during breakfast. It's nice having such interesting company with me." She dug into her bacon and eggs once more.

Haruka laughed nervously and continued to eat her breakfast, this time at a slower pace. Once they both finished, Michiru got up to do the dishes, but Haruka, regaining a bit more of her strength after eating, got up first and volunteered to do it, "Please, let me do it. It's the least I can do."

"No, the least you can do is listen to me when I say you should stay in bed." Michiru was about to take Haruka's plate.

Haruka gently took hold of her hand, "Please, Michiru, let me." A bit shocked from the warmth radiating from Haruka's hand, Michiru was a bit late to answer.

"Oh, all right, we'll do it together, how's that?" she nearly mumbled incoherently.

"You wash, I'll dry?"

Michiru smiled and nodded. The two grabbed the forks, plates, and glasses and headed over to the sink, "I mean it, you really are stubborn."

"I mean it as well, you're just as stubborn." Michiru sighed, "Anyways, I hadn't remembered, but how much is the cost of the treatment? You treated all seven of us, fed us, and now you're babysitting me, it's a good thing I get paid more for being a Lieutenant." Haruka laughed.

"I will take no payment from you."

Haruka's laughter stopped. Michiru handed her a dish she had just finished cleaning. Taking the dish, but keeping her eyes locked on Michiru, she nearly burst out, "No no Michiru! I can't take that much generosity from you. Please, let me pay."

Michiru continued to wash the current dish she held, "You've paid me more than enough already."

Haruka dried the dish in her hand and opened the pantry she saw Michiru take the plate out of and placed it in a neat stack with the rest, "I've done nothing. Let me pay."

Handing the plate she finished washing to Haruka, Michiru grabbed the two forks, "I told you, you helped Hana and Hiro, that's enough for me."

Drying the recently received plate Haruka frowned, "And I told you, it was nothing. That's not nearly enough."

Sighing, Michiru handed the forks over to Haruka, "Haruka, if you pay me, I won't forgive you."

Haruka quickly dried the forks and placed them in the small drawer next to her, "But-"

"No buts. Speaking about butts, you need to get yours back into bed after this, understand?"

Haruka turned a bit pink as she took the glass Michiru had just finished washing, "Yes ma'am."

Michiru finished washing the last glass and handed it to Haruka. She turned to face the tall blonde, "Good. I'll help you."

Haruka dried the glass and placed it in the stack of glasses up in the pantry, "Really Miss Ka-

"Michiru."

Haruka looked at her, "Michiru, I'm fine. I can go find an inn now. You don't need to baby sit me anymore."

"And how do you know I don't like baby sitting you? Maybe I do?"

Haruka was a bit taken aback, "Oh..."

Giggling, walked over to the living room, "Well? You said you could do things on your own, so let's see."

"Roger." Haruka moved away from the counter and began to walk over to the living room. Her head was a bit hazy, but she felt ok. She walked fine, her legs regaining more strength after the meal she had just had. Smiling triumphantly at Michiru, she moved to sit on the couch.

"Oh? I thought you said you were going to bed."

"I told you I was fine. Sitting will do me good."

"All right then, you sit there, I'm going to get the laundry."

Haruka nodded. Michiru disappeared to the kitchen, and Haruka heard the back door close.

Sighing, Haruka closed her eyes. _Kaioh Michiru…_

--

Closing the back door, Michiru took a deep breath. She looked at the clothes line. This town was so simple, one of the reasons she loved it. Walking over to it, Michiru looked at the clothes hanging from the simple line. Haruka's cargos, shirt, and jacket hung from the line, her packs sitting on a nearby bench.

She could still feel the electricity of Haruka's hold on her hand before. She was so struck she hadn't noticed Haruka talking to her. Forgetting it, she sighed once more and began to unhook the clothes from the line. She was in such a daze. Never had she felt such a surge going through her when she was with someone, let alone a woman.

Chuckling to herself Michiru slapped her forehead. She folded the clothes neatly and put them in a basket. She grabbed the now clean packs and, much to her dismay, guns and ammunition and placed them on top of the clothes. She carried the basket in through the back door. Walking into the living room, she saw Haruka sitting on the couch, her legs spread and her head tilted back. Her eyes were closed and she had the sweetest smile on her face.

Michiru tried to quietly set the basket of clothes down on the small coffee table, but failed as Haruka let out what seemed to be a grunt. Michiru watched as Haruka slowly opened her eyes and blink a few times before saying, "Michiru…

Michiru walked over to the blonde and sat down next to her. She subconsciously ran hand through her sandy blonde hair, "Had a nice dream?"

Haruka blinked a few more times and realized that Michiru was sitting next to her. Nearly jumping, Haruka distanced them a bit, "Sorry Miss Ka-Michiru."

Michiru merely smiled, "Sorry about what? Actually listening to what I told you to do and resting?"

Haruka laughed, "Oh, but I wasn't resting Michiru. I was merely resting my eyes."

Michiru raised an eyebrow, "Is that so? Then do you usually daydream about me?"

Haruka had the slightest streak of pink across her nose, "N-no…"

"You know Haruka." Michiru looked up to the sky, "I get the feeling that you're not very interested in men."

Haruka looked at Michiru skeptically, "Oh? How did you come up with that idea?" Haruka's eyes were laughing.

Michiru laughed, "Well, daydreaming about a young and healthy woman while 'not asleep' might have been a small tip-off?"

Haruka joined in the laughter, "Ah, I've been caught." Her voice was filled with a joking breath, "I see men as my rivals, not as lovers. Does that bother you?"

"No, love is love, no matter how you look at it."

Haruka chuckled, "If only the rest of the world thought that way."

"I'll bet you were that one 'boy' in school that all the girls fawned over weren't you?"

"All through High School. Girls just couldn't keep their hands off of me." Haruka had a cocky grin on her face.

The two shared a small laugh, "You know, I've been taking care of you all this time, but I don't know anything about you."

Haruka sat up straighter, but then clutched her right arm, "Crap."

Michiru replaced her smile with a look of worry, "Are you ok?" She inched closer to Haruka, to the point where the blonde's sweet, hot breath could be felt on her curls; the mixture sending an invisible shiver down Michiru's spine, to which she ignored. She took hold of Haruka's right arm and inspected it. The bandage was beginning to wear. She stood up, "I need to re-do your bandage. Wait here."

Michiru left Haruka sitting with her arm stuck out. She went into the examination room across the couch and towards the counters. Looking in one of the drawers, Michiru found a small towel and grabbed a roll of gauze. She went back into the living room and set the supplies down next to the laundry basket. She then trotted over to the kitchen where she filled a small bowl with water. She walked back into the living room and set the bowl next to the supplies and sat next to Haruka once more. She took Haruka's arm and began undoing the wrap.

Haruka could only watch as Michiru was so intent on fixing her arm up, "Anyways, you asked about me?"

Michiru stopped momentarily and looked at the teal eyes she had grown accustomed to in such a short amount of time, "Yeah…"

Haruka smirked, "Well first, you're gonna tell me how in the hell I got a fever in the first place. The place was so hot you could fry bacon on the ground!" Michiru looked at Haruka disbelievingly, "Well ok, it wasn't that hot, but it was by no means, cold."

Michiru continued to undo the wrap on Haruka's arm, "Well, it was from fatigue. You tired your body out way too much. You pushed it to its limits and it couldn't support all those things you did anymore, plus, you were on the ground a lot, an open bullet wound in your shoulder, bacteria and germs got in. Mostly though, it was because you were just way too tired. I'm sure you're still feeling the after effects of whatever escapade you had." Michiru giggled.

Haruka frowned, but then smiled a bit after watching Michiru laugh, "Beautiful…" she murmured.

Michiru turned from where she was wetting the towel, "Hm?"

Haruka blushed, "Nothing. Anyways, fair is fair. I'll tell you whatever you want to know."

Michiru smiled as she took Haruka's arm and began to clean it, "Ok, for starters, why did you join the army?"

Haruka looked to the ceiling for a second, then turned back to Michiru, another smile gracing her lips, "Well honestly, when I first heard that Germany had gone ballistic I was a bit exhilarated. I heard about the Alliance of the U.S. and Britain and I wanted to be part of the action, that's all."

"So you joined five-to six years ago? How did you get to be Lieutenant so fast?"

Haruka laughed, "Well, Americans aren't the best soldiers."

Michiru sighed, "Ok, next question then," Haruka nodded, "Who is in your family?"

Michiru could see Haruka's smile falter into a lop-sided one and almost apologized for the question when Haruka cut her off, "Don't worry about it. Well, I left them."

Michiru, who expected a tragic story about her parents was surprised, "You left them?"

Haruka smiled at her, "Yep. Mom and Pop were always on my case about being more ladylike, they loved me and all, didn't even mind when they found out about my preferred choice in lovers. They just wanted a little girl. Whether this little girl was gay or not, they didn't care. They loved me. To be honest, I loved them too. We weren't rich, nor were we poor, just your average Japanese family. But, when I got of age, I told them I wanted to join the American army and help in the war against those damn Nazis. They panicked. At the time, they were pressing me to choose what I wanted to do with my life instead of going to the army. I didn't know, so I ran. I left them a letter, and I left. I didn't have any siblings, so the guilt ate at me for a while."

Michiru finished wrapping Haruka's arm up in new gauze, "I see. Have you contacted them since?"

Haruka stood up and moved her arm around, "No, I'm too scared." She scoffed, "Lieutenant Haruka Tenoh is afraid to call her mommy and daddy, and face the truth she left a long time ago. Sad isn't it?"

Michiru smiled sadly, "But thanks to that, I got to meet this stubborn and hard-headed Lieutenant."

Haruka smiled back. She then looked at her clothes, "You know, I think I should go now." She made for her clothes and belongings, "The guys must have drunk too much. Who knows where they could be. Besides, thanks to you, I'm fine." She took the pants first and buckled them on her waist, over the shorts. Next, she took her black shirt and tucked it in. She grabbed her jacket and pulled it on, leaving it unbuttoned. She then took her weapons and other items and placed them in the pockets of the belt attached to her pants. She looked at Michiru with a smile. If she didn't know better, Michiru looked a bit disappointed.

"Oh, are you sure you're well enough to be going places?"

"I'm fine. Don't worry." She made her way to the door, Michiru trailing behind her, "Well Michiru, it was nice meeting you, and of course thank you once again." Haruka took her hand and placed the lightest of kisses on the back of it. With that done, she walked out the door, waving one last time.

Michiru felt her heart sink when she watched Haruka leave. She moved back to the living room and began to clean up the rolls of gauze, the bowl of water, and the wet cloth. She took the items to the kitchen and placed them on the counter. She then leaned her back on the counter and wrapped her arms around herself. _Haruka._

--

Haruka took a deep breath and smelled the fresh air. She smiled and walked up the side walk. She noticed that a few more people were out today. There were people on bikes, and more children running about. She walked passed a boy selling newspapers and bought one. She looked at the date and found that it was Saturday, no wonder. She then took a look at the front headline. **Annual Town Picnic, held at the Town Park. Come join the celebration of our Town's anniversary! **Haruka perked her eyebrows up as she saw a picture, probably of the last town picnic.

Her eyes locked onto couples who sat together on a blanket, looking up into the night sky. There were fireworks. There were children running around and playing on the grass while everyone else drank and ate merrily. Haruka then looked back to Michiru's home, "Maybe I could…"

Her thoughts were cut off as two small arms made their way around her waist. A bit surprised, Haruka found Hiro clinging onto her, yelling her name over and over again. She then looked up to find Hana not too far away, smiling apologetically. Behind her, the rest of her troop. They all immediately stopped their loud chatter when they saw her. The group walked up to her and smiled, "Hey Lieutenant! Glad to see your up and runnin'!" It was Langley. It seems he was the one with the least after effect of being drunk. They were all happy enough, but mostly complaining about headaches.

Hiro jumped off her waist and went behind her, jumping up and down yelling, "Up! Up!" Hana chided Hiro for his actions, but Haruka just laughed and complied. She bent down on her knees and let the small child jump up on her back. He then climbed up to her shoulders and swung his legs over them. He sat perched on Haruka's shoulders, Haruka's arms keeping his legs in place. He placed his hands on top of Haruka's head and looked around, "So this is what you see all the time! Wow, I want to grow up to be tall like you!" Everyone laughed.

Kayman walked up to Haruka and patted her on the back, "So Lieutenant, how are you doing?" He grabbed the newspaper Haruka held with her left as she also held Hiro's left leg. She scowled playfully at him and let him be. All the men gathered around Kayman as they all read the article over his shoulder. When they finished, they all raised their eyebrows at Haruka.

Haruka looked around, and then pointed at herself, "What?"

Riley and Harbory walked up to her and smirked, "You aren'tt thinking what we think you're thinking are you 'sir?'" They said the last work mockingly. The rest of the troop, and even Hana extended an ear.

Haruka looked at them all incredulously, "What?!"

Whittaker, a smile on his face approached Haruka and placed a hand on her good shoulder, "You know what we're talking about."

"No actually I don't." Haruka looked so helpless.

She then felt hard, yet soft taps on top of her head. She closed her left eye and used her right one to look up, "Haruka-papa, look, it's Michiru-mama!"

Haruka blushed as the small boy pointed to Michiru, who had just stepped out the door and was locking it. Haruka looked at Hana, "Sorry, he adds that to the names of people he really likes." Haruka smiled and turned again. Once she did, she locked eyes with Michiru, who looked quite surprised to see a group of people standing about 50 meters away from her front door, staring at her.

The first person to say anything was Cho, "Sir, we have time you know. We don't have any mission or anything, and we don't really have to go back now…" he whispered it to Haruka.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She whispered back as Michiru smiled at them and started to walk over.

Langley then shoved Haruka's stomach with his elbow, "Close your mouth sir."

Haruka then realized that her mouth was indeed open. Michiru had reached them by then and she tucked a hair behind her ear, "Good afternoon everyone. Haruka, I thought you'd have left by now."

She waited a second to talk, her mind lost, "Uh, yeah, they found me." Then, twice that day, she felt light, but violent tapping on top of her head, "Hey hey, I need that." She laughed.

Hiro was waving to Michiru, who looked up and laughed, "Michiru-mama!"

She took the small boy's hand and kissed it, "Hey there Hiro, how are you?"

"Good, Michiru-mama, you're a doctor, can you make it so I can be as tall as Haruka-papa when I'm older."

Michiru was first a bit surprised at the way he called Haruka, but then, seeing the looks on Haruka and Hana's face, let it go and laughed, "Well Hiro," she looked at him as a mother would, "If you eat your vegetables and drink your milk like your sister tells you to, I'm sure you'll have no problems."

He then nodded his head vigorously. Michiru then turned to Hana and soldiers, who were very suspiciously whispering amongst themselves, looking at Haruka from time to time. Haruka looked as well and nearly sweat dropped. She then spoke up, "So, Hana, how did all of you meet anyways?"

Hana popped her head out of he group, "Well, I was walking towards Miss Michiru's house for a visit, when I saw a bunch of men walking on the street wearing military uniforms. They were headed this way too, so I asked them if they knew you. They were all very gentlemanly and kind in their reply, but they were suffering from hangovers, so it was a bit hard to communicate with them."

Harbory came out, "Yeah, but at least we sobered up!"

The men all gave a cry of agreement. Haruka shook her head, "By the way, Michiru, what were you doing out anyways?"

Michiru looked into those deep green eyes again, "Well, to be honest, once you left, I realized I was out of gauze. So, I decided to go buy some, along with some other supplies."

Haruka looked down, "Oh, sorry about that."

Michiru smiled and shook her head, "Not a problem, if you're all willing to wait, you can come inside my home, and when I come back we can talk and rest" she sent the last word to Haruka, "over some tea or" she looked at the men who were still complaining about their hangovers, "coffee." She smiled sympathetically.

Everyone nodded in agreement and yelled thanks to her. Hana nodded gracefully, so ladylike for a seventeen year old, "That'd be nice." Was all Haruka said.

Cho, noticing Haruka's wandering eyes nudged her side and murmured, "Go with her." And coughed, but it was still loud enough for Michiru to hear. She giggled.

Haruka was about to smack him upside the head when Michiru spoke, "Well, I should get going so you're not all waiting for a long time. I'll be back soon." She handed the keys to her home to Hana and turned around.

Haruka was going to let her go, that is until Cho once more nudged her, but harder this time and said, "Go with her!" With more force. Michiru heard it, but suppressed the giggle. Haruka's nose had a streak of red.

Another nudge. She was getting annoyed, but she took a deep breath, "Wait." Michiru stopped and cocked her head to the side, "Would you mind if I kept you company?" Hiro once again tapped the top of her head. She laughed softly, "Sorry, would you mind if 'we' kept you company?"

Michiru laughed and smiled, "To what do I owe the honor of walking with Lieutenant Tenoh and of course, soon to be Lieutenant Hiro?" she smiled playfully at the small child who stuck his chin high up in the air.

"What, two personal body guards, both with high rankings in the American military not good enough for you?"

They laughed, "Maybe, but nevertheless, if you joined me, that'd be lovely."

Haruka smiled and joined Michiru; Hiro still perched on her shoulders. She turned around and along with Michiru and Hiro waved to the smirking group now in front of Michiru's home, "Shall we go?"

* * *

**Well there's chapter 3. yay. Also, after re-reading this, I realized that the "You're not interested in men." conversation was out of place and extremely awkward. Forgive me if it was an uncomfortable way of stating it, but I couldn't think of another way to do it. So, sorry. xD any mistakes in timeline, not making sense, thinking that I'm a crazy psychopath. Anything at all. Please state them in a kind (or not) review. And here are my stupid A/N that no one really cares about. **

**Shiznats - I got the S this time xD sorry about that. And thank you for your kind reviews and I know you see errors in this though you don't state them. LOL please do. It'll help. Really. xD thanks for reviewing and please continue to! xD catch ya next chapter. **

**Kei – Well thank you. But it's ok. His review made me look at my story over once or twice and I realized he was right. I need to stop writing with my ass and with my hand or unplug my computer! xD he has such a good way of putting it. Thanks and review again prease. It make me happppy 8) **

**Jade-MEST – ok, first of all I can't speak Spanish, xD but I tried. Actually no I didn't. I sent your review through a Spanish to English translator. You liked my history of the story I think. Rright? xD well I changed it, because it just didn't fit good. I think you might like this one more, because it has some background on WWII so, yeah. Review again and let me know what you think. thanks. **

**Thanks guys and remember to R&R for the writer who types with her arse! xD **


	4. Date?

**Hey guys, sorry for the delay, I've been doing research for future chapters (wink wink) bah, ok, here is chapter 4, sorry for grammar errors, I re-read it this time, but there are probably some things I missed. Thanks and remember to REVIEW:D**

**

* * *

**

**Date?**

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The sun shone with no mercy as Haruka fell into step with Michiru, leaving her home and all the eccentric characters present behind. Though she was hot, Haruka forced herself to appreciate the nice weather. She took in the scent of the wind as it grazed her nose, blowing her hair to the side. She took a deep breath, and exhaled a smile. Michiru noticed Haruka's odd actions and giggled, "You look like you've never been on a walk before."

Haruka turned to face Michiru, making sure to keep Hiro steady on her shoulders, "I haven't been able to walk around this peacefully since…" Haruka counted on her fingers, still holding on to Hiro's legs as she did so. She turned to Michiru once more, "Wow…since 6 years ago." She smiled sadly as she closed her eyes and felt the wind softly brush her features.

"Oh…I'm sorry."

A grin worked its way on Haruka's face, "Nah, it's not a big deal. At least I get to do it now; a pretty lady at my side no less."

Michiru looked a bit taken aback by the flirtatious comment, but a few seconds into it, laughed, "So is this Lieutenant Tenoh off duty?"

Haruka joined in the laughter, "Maybe."

They walked side by side, buildings and people passing them by, even a few cars here and there, "So, what brings you to want to walk all the way to the pharmacy with me?"

Haruka thought for a moment, "Well, I was actually going to go get a drink or two from a corner shop or something, but then I was found by Hana and the others," she tapped Hiro's leg, "Including this little troublemaker." Hiro looked down from where he was staring and smiled. Soon, he returned to his musings at seeing things from Haruka's perspective, "But then I saw you go out. Then you told me you were going to go shopping, so I did the gentlemanly thing and decided to help you out. It's the least I can do."

Michiru was going to tell Haruka that she didn't need to do that, but the words were lost as she watched Haruka look peacefully in front of her. Instead, Michiru continued to watch the tall blonde, not realizing she was about to bump into someone. That's why she was surprised to have the tall blonde look at her incredulously and then loop an arm around her waist, pulling her close. Michiru's breath was lost as she was pulled into the warmth that was Haruka Tenoh's body. She let her hands clutch the now clean army jacket that was covered in the soldier's sweet and natural scent. Michiru's eyes were wide in shock. The seconds felt like minutes as Haruka kept her close. Michiru continued to stay in the state of shock until Haruka's voice reached her ears, "Michiru?" Haruka gently shook her, "Michiru, are you all right?"

Michiru somehow brought herself to look into those emerald orbs she had grown so accustomed to, and found growing worry within their depths. Her heart still beating with incredible speed, she found no strength to smile as she bit her lower lip in thought. Looking past Haruka, where a man carrying a briefcase was cursing to himself and was yelling back apologies at the pair, she began to understand the situation. Taking a few more seconds to calm down, she looked up at the troubled blonde. She let a faint smile grace her features, "I'm fine. I didn't see him coming this way…"

The blonde let out a long held breath as she too faintly smiled. She finally retracted her left arm from Michiru's waist and placed it back on Hiro's leg, "That's good to hear. For a second there I thought that you were going to imitate a train wreck."

Michiru then settled her arms in front of her, clasping them together tightly. She oddly missed the warmth she felt earlier whilst still confined within the blonde's more than welcoming embrace. Moving a few inches away from Haruka, Michiru took a deep breath, "Sorry about that, and thank you." A slight streak of red crossed her nose.

Haruka scratched her cheek with her left forefinger and smiled sheepishly, "It was nothing." She looked up to find Hiro completely oblivious to what was happening around him, staring off in every which direction he found the least bit interesting. She turned back to face Michiru who seemed deep in thought. She cocked her head to the side slightly, "If you're ok, let's keep going. I don't want the guys to destroy your house before we get back."

Michiru averted her attention to Haruka once more and smiled again, this time it was much truer to her emotions, being just a bit off, "I'm fine. Let's keep going shall we?" She watched as Haruka nodded and turned back to the sidewalk in front of them. The two started to walk again.

Haruka took a deep breath and let it out. She loved the smell of the natural world; the world without the scent of gunpowder, blood, dust, or death. Haruka looked so peaceful as she walked, the wind playing with her blonde hair, calling out to her. Michiru could only watch and be amazed at how…she fumbled for the word…_adorable_; the blonde looked with such a calm look on her face. She was glad she got to see this side of the usually formal soldier.

Without realizing it, the two had already arrived at the pharmacy. Michiru entered through the door first, a gentlemanly Haruka holding the door for her while a smile let itself grow on her lips. Michiru gave the slightest bow and an amused look to the action and waited a few feet in the store as Haruka let Hiro down from her shoulders, took his hand, and walked in. When the three were inside, Michiru took off down the short isles and counters and walked confidently into the fourth one, stopping almost midway down and facing the left. There, she found the gauze rolls she needed. Haruka noticed the air of familiarity around her and smiled, "You're a regular here aren't you?"

Michiru smiled as she placed the roll of gauze in a small basket she picked up a few isles back, "Of course, I'm a doctor, it should be expected of me."

"Isn't it a pain to have to walk all the way over here when you run out of medical supplies, and then walk them all the way back home?"

"Yes. But that's why I try to get as much of whatever I need when I go, so trips like these don't happen too often." As if proving her point, Michiru placed about ten three inch rolls of gauze into her basket.

"Sorry." Haruka felt the guilt of using all that gauze for her wounds prodding at her sharply.

"Don't apologize. I'm a doctor. It's my job."

"How can it be a job if you won't even let me pay you?"

Michiru began walking down the isle and towards the front counter; where an elderly man with thick square glasses stood, smiling gently. He wore a striped white and blue dress shirt and had thinning white hair. For his age, he didn't have that many wrinkles and he was in a healthy physical condition. He didn't fit the average 'frail old man' standards very well. Michiru ignored Haruka's comment and instead smiled at the old man, "Good day Mr. Ralph." She placed her basket on the counter.

The old man looked into the basket and began counting the number of rolls and typing numbers into the register, "Well if it isn't Miss Kaioh. I haven't seen you for a while now."

"It's nice to see you too sir."

"You should come visit more often! I always enjoy company around here, you know that."

"Sorry, I was going to visit you a few days ago but a few things," she looked at Haruka, who was busily scanning the room, "came up." She finished.

"Ah, no worries." He smiled genuinely, "Doctors have their duties don't they?"

"Talking about doctors; how's that back of yours?"

He reached back to his spine, "It's been doin' good thanks to you."

"That's good to hear. You remember to place a hot cloth on it before going to sleep all right?"

He chuckled, a deep rumbling sound from his old vocal chords, "Of course ma'am. I've never forgotten." He placed his hands on the counter, "So, ten rolls of gauze is it? Will that be all?"

Michiru looked behind the old man at the drug bottles set on the counter. For some reason, she felt like she would need some more pain killers, "Actually…" she pointed at a blue and white bottle nearest to the right window, "Can I get two bottles of that?"

The man looked behind him and raised a curious eyebrow. He then averted his vision to the tall blonde who was playing and laughing with an amused Hiro. He then turned a worried eye to Michiru, who in turn cocked her head slightly to the left, "This boy here the one causin' all this trouble?"

Haruka turned from where she was tickling Hiro and picked him up. She then faced the storekeeper with a questioning eyebrow. She turned to Michiru who was still searching for a decent answer to the blunt question. Michiru cleared her throat and laughed a bit, "Yes, this," she faced an open palmed hand towards Haruka, "is the reason for all this trouble."

Feeling like she had been left out of a conversation, Haruka's brows furrowed in confusion, and the feeling of loss was etched all over her features. She didn't move until she heard Hiro yawn in her arms. She then looked down at him and moved her arms so he could be more comfortable. She then kissed the top of his head; much like a caring father would to his son. The man watched her carefully, and after witnessing the small scene of affection, his worried look turned into a smile, "Never mind. I know a good man when I see one."

Michiru giggled again as Haruka once again stared at the two of them with a dumbfounded expression. The man known as Ralph turned around and opened the small see through cabinet behind him and took out two bottles of the pills Michiru had asked for, "Thank you Mr. Ralph. I appreciate it." She placed the amount of money she owed him on the counter without waiting for him to count it out.

Trusting Michiru's counting, he took the money and placed in the register, "Of course Michiru. You know you're always welcome here." He turned to Haruka, "And you," He pointed a finger at her as he acted out the role of Michiru's father figure, "You take good care of her you hear? If I find out you've done anything to hurt her, I'll hunt you down myself." Haruka absently nodded at the…threat? She had just received.

When they walked out of the store, Haruka couldn't help but turn to Michiru and ask desperately, "What was that all about?"

Michiru giggled again, her right hand going up to her mouth, "Sorry, Mr. Ralph has always been very protective around me. Especially around 'men'." She said the last word jokingly as she began to walk back the direction they had come from.

Haruka fell in step with her seconds later, still carrying a sleeping Hiro in her arms, "Ok sure…" still unsure about the answer she received, Haruka's confusion wound around her mind like an unstoppable whirlpool. When they took a different turn than from where they came from, Haruka questioned Michiru, who merely smiled and continued to walk, "Hey, didn't we come from that direction?" she pointed to the 'correct' pathway back to her home.

Michiru sighed and took a deep breath, "I feel like taking the scenic route today. It's a beautiful day after all."

Haruka couldn't help but stare at her as Michiru closed her eyes and delved into her surroundings, "Yeah…beautiful…" was all she managed to mumble. A few minutes into the turn, Haruka noticed trees and flowers to her left. She saw Michiru turn her head also. Walking further, she realized she was just outside the town park. Her eyes glimmered in curiosity as they wandered around. There were a wide array of trees surrounding the outer perimeter of the landscape, it was dense. But if one looked a bit closer, the inside was almost fully clear grass field. There was a small pond off to the left where ducks and geese swam about, sticking their heads into the water once in a while. The gardens were taken care of beautifully and the pathways all joined with each other, creating a never ending path in which families, friends, and lovers could walk around for hours, benches situated here and there for those who found walking or jogging to be tiring. All in all, the park was magnificent, not for its size, but for its sheer beauty.

Haruka, too entranced in being amazed at the park, failed to notice Michiru's eyes on her. Michiru couldn't stop staring at her. Her eyes were locked on her, like they were frozen in place. Part of her wished that someone would almost bump into her again, just to have Haruka pull her close again. For some reason, the warmth Haruka gave out was just so addicting. Finally giving up, she sighed and faced the direction she was currently walking.

Noticing Michiru's almost depressed sigh, Haruka stopped her musings and turned to Michiru, "Is something wrong?"

Michiru turned around to face the concerned blonde and smiled, "No, nothing's wrong. I'm just enjoying this wonderful weather."

The blonde skeptically stared and gave her a once over, but relented with a, "Oh…"

As they walked past the entrance to the park, Haruka noticed men on ladders while others were carrying things back and forth. They were building some sort of podium in the very center of the park. Then it clicked. The picnic. Haruka quickly snapped her head over to Michiru, who in turn was busy staring at the ground as she walked. Biting her lip as she continued to walk, she contemplated whether to do what she had been thinking to do since she saw the article in the paper.

So busy in her thoughts, she hadn't noticed when she nearly bumped into Michiru herself. Michiru stopped so suddenly that Haruka had to shake her head out once or twice to make sure she was ok. Finishing that, she faced the direction Michiru was currently extremely interested in. Following her line of vision, Haruka found their destination, and she didn't like what she saw. Finishing the trail of her sight, Haruka's eyes laid upon a handsome young man with short brown hair. He was of average height, shorter than herself. Currently he was talking to some business man, she assumed, and was beginning to walk away. As he disappeared around the corner, she heard Michiru let out a long kept breath. She watched as one of her hands found their way to her heart and she couldn't help but feel her own ache a bit.

Michiru then slowly turned to Haruka, a faint smile on her face, "Sorry about that, I…I thought I forgot something, but it turns out I didn't." Haruka only gave an absent nod, not being able to help the frown that made its way on her face.

Michiru continued on her way, and Haruka hesitated a bit before rejoining her. The rest of the walk was quiet. Haruka's thoughts were so lost in what had happened earlier she couldn't even process anything else at that point. Michiru was also deep in thought. Her furrowed eyebrows faced the pavement before her as her feet absently continued on the route they've known for so long. The two hadn't even realized that they'd made it back to Michiru's house already.

The two broke out of their thoughts as they faced each other and gave fake smiles. Haruka walked up the steps and opened the door for Michiru, who in turn thanked her and stepped inside. As they entered, they could hear the noisy chatter of the men and of Hana's curious voice. They were once again huddled together, whispering to each other, which was odd because they were the only ones present, well until that moment that is. Haruka cleared her throat louder than needed to get the attention of those occupying the room. It worked.

The chatter stopped abruptly and everyone turned to face the pair who had amused smiles and raised eyebrows in their direction. Hana moved from the pile of people first and came up to them, "Welcome back."

Michiru answered, "Thank you. Now, Hana, will you help me in the kitchen while I prepare tea and coffee?"

Hana's smile brightened, she loved to be of help, "Of course!"

Michiru disappeared into the kitchen without as much as a glance to Haruka. Soon after the two other women disappeared into the kitchen, Haruka's men gathered around her. Riley was the first to get a word in, "So? Did you ask her?"

Haruka gave him a questioning eyebrow. Cho stepped in and sighed, "You know, about the picnic. Did you ask her?"

Haruka took a second or two to process what had just been said to her. Her mind turning into a light bulb, she turned to the kitchen door, "No…" she then remembered the young man on the other side of the street. Her frown grew and she said louder, "No."

Whittaker, worried about his Lt's expression placed a hand on her shoulder, "What happened?"

Haruka sighed and closed her eyes. She then sat down on the couch, being careful not to wake Hiro as she did so, "I think…I think there's someone else."

It was Harbory's turn now, "Sir, you sure are picky…"

She quickly snapped, "Not me, her."

Harbory scratched the back of his head, "Oh…sorry."

Haruka sighed again. Haruka was about to say something when the doorbell rang. She turned to the door questioningly and as she was about to get up, she heard Michiru come out of the kitchen, "I'll get it." Haruka could see the confusion in her face; people rarely visited the doctor on Saturdays. Haruka watched as Michiru approached the door, her hands clasped in front of her as usual, from the couch.

Once Michiru opened the door, she gasped in shock and Haruka could tell from her expression that she was not expecting whoever this visitor was. Carefully setting Hiro down on the couch, Haruka got up and walked to the door to find the least thing she wanted to see that whole day. There at the door; was the man from their walk home.

His brown hair shone in the sunlight and his suit was ridiculously tidy and completely in place. His eyes were the color of a deep brown and his skin was a soft tan. His stature was only an inch or so taller than Michiru's and he carried himself highly. He had a cleft on his strong chin and his lips were curved into a sweet smile that any girl would fall for.

Haruka turned to Michiru and watched as her surprise continued to show on her now faintly smiling features. The man ran a hand through his hair and with his other; he presented a bouquet of flowers to Michiru and said, "It's been a while hasn't it, Michiru."

Michiru slowly reached for the flowers and her smile grew just a bit more, "It sure has, Hal."

The man's smile grew and he took a look around the interior of the home. It was then that he noticed the almost angry looking Haruka and the rest of her men watching the interaction intently from their current spots. He then turned back to Michiru and raised an eyebrow, "I'm sorry; I'm not interrupting anything here am I?"

Michiru shook her head a little and then looked behind her where her newly acquired friends awaited her, "Oh, no, it's all right."

He smiled and took a deep breath, "Good, I wouldn't want to intrude. May I come in?"

Michiru, almost reluctantly as Haruka observed, stepped aside, "Of course."

The man known as Hal made his way into the house placed his hands behind his back. He then turned back to Michiru, his smile still in place, "This place hasn't changed a bit."

Michiru ignored the comment and instead lead him to the love seat, "Sit, please. Hana and I were making some tea and coffee, would you like some?"

The man sat as he was directed and said, "Some tea would be nice, yes please."

Michiru nodded and disappeared back into the kitchen, leaving an awkward atmosphere in the living room. All was silent until Michiru and Hana returned; trays of coffee and tea in their hands. They set the trays down on the table and began handing the men their cups of tea. After everyone had taken their cups of tea, Whittaker said aloud, "The guys and I want to retreat to the back for some fresh air, is that all right?" He first turned to Michiru who nodded, a smile gracing her lips. He then turned to Haruka, who had her brows furrowed in thought, though she too nodded. He then looked at the guest, "Well, if you'll excuse us then." The group then disappeared through the back door.

Hana was next to speak, "Miss Michiru, since Hiro is asleep, do you mind if I take him up to the extra bedroom and tuck him in properly?" Michiru once again nodded, her smile faltering each time her company grew smaller. She then walked over to the couch, past Haruka and took Hiro in her arms. She walked towards the stairs and turned to face the remaining three people, "Well then, excuse me as well." She continued on her way up the stairs.

With that, it left Michiru, Hal, and Haruka awkwardly in the room. Hal looked at Haruka expectantly. Haruka noticed this out of the corner of her eye and took a deep breath. She then took a glance at Michiru, who only kept smiling, though it was faltering as she faced her. She then turned to face Hal and she closely looked at his smiling face. Deciding that they needed some time alone, Haruka broke the silence, "Well, I think I need some more sugar in this tea." She made her way to the kitchen before Michiru could tell her that she had already laid out some sugar on the trays in front of her.

Haruka closed the small curtain leading into the kitchen and sighed. She pulled a chair out of the table and took a heavy seat. She ran both her hands through her hair in frustration and placed her elbows on the table. Taking another deep breath she let her arms hand loosely to her sides and tilted her head backwards, staring at the ceiling.

Hal had taken a deep breath and let it out, finally saying something, "Well, now that we have this time to ourselves, how are you Michiru?"

Michiru took a seat on the couch adjacent to the love seat and answered politely, "I've been well, and you?"

"I've seen better days, but you could say I'm fine."

"That's good to hear. What brings you back into town?"

"Well, I had some business to do here, and I decided to pay a visit to you and…talk."

"I see, and what is there to talk about?"

"Come now Michiru. Don't be like that."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Hal sighed, "All right, I wanted to talk about…us."

"Hal…we've had this talk before, and frankly, I'm tired of having it." There was slight irritation in Michiru's voice, though she did very well to hide it.

"Fine, we won't talk about it then. I'll go right to my next reason for visiting."

"I'm listening."

"Before you say no, I want you to think about it. You don't have to answer me right this second."

"Hal, what are you talking about?"

"I'm asking you Michiru, will you go to the town picnic with me? As my date? Now don't answer." He stood up, his hands on his knees, "You can either say yes by showing up on the corner by the grocery store at six pm tonight, or," he sighed, "You can say no by...not…showing up. All right? I have to go now. Hopefully, I'll see you tonight." Michiru could find no words to say as he walked to the door and gave her one last smile. Michiru closed the door as he made his way out and sighed. She let her back lean on the door and she closed her eyes.

Haruka opened her eyes and took a deep breath as she heard the door softly open and close, "He's left…"

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**Ok…don't kill me. There is a veeeeery good reason for this. I promise. Now, here are those author notes for you guys. Remember to REVIEW GUYS :D**

**Thenightwithin – well thanks! You read around 12000 words all in one go! Im glad you like it! I'm glad someone likes it, and expresses it LOL thanks again and I'll be a happy camper if you review again. 8)**

**Starscream – well thanks, I really appreciate that and I hope that my story doesn't disappoint you. I'm sure there are and will be historical errors in the chapters, so forgive for that, but please point things out when you see them, it's all in the good of the story right? Again, thanks and I hope you review again, your reviews mean a lot to me because without you, my story would be shot down a well.**

**Shiznats – xD Ruka, I don't know if I'll ever use that in this story…maybe I will…maybe I won't…what a dilemma! O.o Oh and your comments make me turn as pink as an elephant! (a pink elephant mind you) :D thank you for the kind words and again, I REALLLLLY hope you review again, because your reviews make me feel warm and fuzzy and want to write more chapters xD oh and (poins finger) GO READ MIA and then review and whine whine whine for him to update:)**

**Petiyaka – thanks for dropping a review! I love reviews! No matter how short! Lol, but I haven't forgotten, I've just been…neglecting…lol, I'll try to update soon, but I've sort of lost feeling for More than they know…but let's see…review again plzzz!!**

**Spyder – thanks for your review again and yeah…just a wee little freshman here xD so there are going to be mistakes, I really should get a beta though, you're right. I've been researching things about world war 2 such as the different beaches, weapons, etc. also, I'm trying to pay more attention in English, so technical things will get finished. :D thanks and review again please! I waited for your review so I could make sure to change whatever I did wrong in the previous chapter. xD**


	5. Fiance

**Hey guys, sorry for the delay, I actually usually don't post chapters until the next one is already typed up, but I think my "update once a week" rule, wins :D I'll update again in the weekend hopefully, I went out of town. So yeah…again, sorry and enjoy and REVIEW**

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**Fiancé?**

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Michiru took deep and slow breaths as she made her way to the couch, plopping down as she got as close as she needed to. A few seconds later, Haruka came out of the kitchen, a wide smile on her face. Michiru turned to her and gave a smile of her own. Haruka walked further into the room and lifted her cup of tea, "I found the sugar." She then dropped her weight on the couch, occupying the spot across from Michiru's.

Haruka promptly took a sip and let out a contented smile. Michiru watched Haruka the entire time, her eyes never leaving the blonde's boyish and carefree features. She continued to watch as Haruka leaned forward and placed her cup of tea on the table before her. The blonde shrugged her jacket off of her shoulders in a painfully slow manner; as she tried to conceal the discomfort of her hurt arm. Michiru finally found her voice, "What are you doing tonight?"

Haruka stopped the motion of sloppily folding her jacket up and faced Michiru. The woman in mention had a curious, but faltering smile on her face. Haruka did a slapdash job with her jacket as she finished folding it and placed it on the table in front of her; right next to the tea. She then ran a hand through her hair and leaned back on the couch, "Well…I don't know…go drinking with the guys maybe? Maybe something else? I'm not sure." Her voice was soft and low, her eyes half lidded.

Michiru looked from Haruka to her lap, her millisecond of a frown going almost completely unnoticed by the blonde. But, Haruka's sharp eyes proved to be useful not only in the field, but during normal situations as well. Michiru softly returned, "Is that so…" the rhetorical question went unanswered as Haruka contemplated what to make of her current situation. She noticed it; the faint sound of disappointment in the shorter woman's voice.

Haruka felt another surge of confusion surge through her. _Disappointment? Why? _Haruka too averted her eyes towards the direction of her lap, "Yeah…" she finally answered. The air was thick with deafening silence as neither of the two talked for a few seconds. It was short lived, but intense nonetheless. Haruka could barely breathe in those quiet seconds, afraid that her breath would shatter the silence and create a much more awkward situation. The tension was broken when Michiru sat up, quickly, but ladylike.

She turned to Haruka and smiled, "Well then, I have a date tonight. So I'll start on dinner before I have to go."

Haruka was in shock, though she hid it. She didn't even have the right mind to rebut and say that she didn't have to cook. She merely nodded her head and softly replied, "Ok…"

Before once more disappearing through the kitchen, Michiru slightly turned her head over her shoulder and said, the fake smile still plastered on her unwavering face, "Oh, and could you call Hana down here? I need her help."

Haruka got up and wordlessly walked up the stairs, bewildered by Michiru's comment. Michiru watched her go, and as she disappeared from view, let out a long sigh. She then continued into the kitchen. She absent mindedly walked to the refrigerator and pulled out random vegetables and fruits and placed them on a nearby counter. Again, she wandered over to a pantry and reached up for spices and dressings and the like. Opening the pantry next to the one she was currently closing, she grabbed a large bowl and placed the bottles of spices into it. Finally, she picked out a few cooking utensils from the drawer in front of her and placed those into the bowl as well.

Her mind still on auto pilot she set the items down. She again gave a long sigh and randomly picked up a tomato. Looking fondly at it she shook her head and said to herself, "What's wrong with you?" Indeed she had no idea what her emotions were turning into.

Haruka finished the short climb up the stairs, 20 of her mind focused on getting Hana to go downstairs to help Michiru and 80 trying to figure out that hint of disappointment in Michiru's voice. After finding out that Michiru and the strange man had some sort of history, Haruka decided to back off and chose not to ask her to the picnic, "Tenoh…you wimp."

Arriving at the extra bedroom door, she knocked, "Come in." was the voice that greeted her, muffled by the door. Haruka slowly and quietly opened the door and stepped into the room. She watched as Hana sat by the bed and merely watched little Hiro sleep. He was curled up quite nicely on the bed, the sheets all astray from his constant movement. Noticing that Haruka had stepped in, the young girl got up and approached her; her eyes knowing and worried, "Is everything all right?"

Having no idea how Hana knew that there had been…a fight? Is that what it was? A small and subtle fight? Snapping back into reality, Haruka grew a gentle smile on her face, "Yeah." She lied. Something was wrong, but she had yet to find out what.

Hana merely nodded, though her expression told Haruka that she knew she saw through Haruka's fib. Haruka merely turned away from her and instead focused her attention on the small boy resting on the bed. She stood next to the bed, a fond smile in place. One hand in her pocket, she used the other to wipe the bangs out of the small boy's forehead, "He tires easily." Were the words that Hana spoke as she came to the other side of the bed, where she too looked fondly at the child.

Haruka looked at her worriedly, "His heart…"

Hana gave her a reassuring smile, "Don't worry, he's just a child. They need naps from time to time."

Worry still etched in her features, Haruka nodded and turned her attention back on the boy, "Women are so hard to understand…" she mumbled, she thought, to herself as her mind dwelled on Michiru; while her body had its full attention on Hiro.

She heard Hana giggle and snapped her head up to face the young woman, "Then you must learn to understand."

Haruka had a slight streak of red appear at the bridge of her nose at this moment, "Learn? I thought I was done with learning at the end of training." She chuckled.

"That's not true at all." Haruka looked closely at the girl, whose voice came almost to a whisper. She leaned forward slightly and ran her hand through Hiro's hair, "You learn new things every day. Besides, you might find the learning experience to be fun."

"You make a fine point." She answered just as softly.

"Sometimes, the answer you're looking for is staring you straight in the face, but you fail to notice it." her smile grew, "So you panic." She looked straight into Haruka's calm orbs of green, "So maybe you already know, but you've chosen to deny it for fear of it being the truth." she paused, "You choose not to accept it. What keeps you at that stage, I can't help with, but I can tell you that whatever you _feel_ is right, is the _right _thing to do."

Hana's intense gaze was broken as she finished her small speech. Her contact loosened and she smiled gently once more. Haruka returned the smile and, with more confidence said, "You're right."

Hana tucked a strand of stray hair behind her ear and said, "Now, I know that's not the reason you originally came to me."

Haruka once more blushed and found the floor an interesting subject at the moment, "No, actually," she faced the younger girl, a renewed vigor in her face, "Michiru wanted me to ask you to come down into the kitchen, she wants your help."

Hana headed to the door, "All right, will you come down with me?"

Haruka thought about it for a moment and decided on saying, "Of course."

The two made their way out the bedroom door and down the stairs. As they entered the kitchen, they saw Michiru talking to Whittaker and then sending him off with a smile and a wave back into the back yard. Michiru closed the back door and turned around. When she noticed Haruka and Hana's presence she smiled, "You're here."

The two walked around the kitchen table to where Michiru stood by some counters and was beginning to chop some carrots into small pieces. Hana took a knife from the drawer behind Michiru and joined in next to her, chopping up lettuce instead. Haruka felt a little out of place and was shuffling around uncomfortably. Michiru noticed Haruka's tiny fidgets and she smiled to herself, _cute._ Looking to the pot next to her and the sink, she had an idea, "Haruka?"

The blonde shot her head up at the all too familiar voice. She faced Michiru, a hint of awkwardness in the shine of her eyes, though her face was smiling, "Yeah?"

Michiru pointed to the pot next to her, "Do you mind boiling some water? Just fill it ¾ of the way up."

Haruka nodded absently, her eyes never leaving the aqua haired beauty. Michiru gave one last smile and went back to her work, chopping carrots and other vegetables and fruits. Haruka took the pot and went over to the sink. She did as she was told and filled it ¾ of the way up. Figuring that what she had filled was enough, she turned off the tap and, grunting, picked up the now heavy large soup pot. She carefully placed the pot on top of the stove and sighed. She turned the heat on high and watched as the fire began to warm the contents of the pot. She then turned back to Michiru, like a lost puppy she asked, her eyes ones of embarrassment and the confusion of a three year old, "Umm, is there anything else I can help with? I kinda feel useless."

Michiru stopped what she was doing up and turned to look up at the blonde, once again uncomfortably shuffling in her spot. Nearly letting out a giggle, Michiru then thought of the meat, which was still in the freezer, "Can you take out the packaged meat from the freezer? I need it to defrost. Just take a big bowl from the cabinet," she pointed to one to the left of the stove, "and fill it with the hottest water from the tap. Then, just set the meat in the water. Every eight to ten minutes or so you should replace the water with renewed hot water, so it doesn't get cold."

Smiling that she had something to do, Haruka nodded and briskly set off to her task. She first took the meat out of the freezer, a lot of meat if she had anything to say about it. She set the packaged meat on the counter and set off to fetch the bowl. She opened the cabinet and found a good sized bowl. She then turned the temperature all the way to hot and waited a few seconds until the temperature was nearly scalding. Haruka placed the bowl under the tap and left it in the sink as she left to grab the meat. She stared at the meat and its plastic wrapping. She carried the pile carefully to the sink and placed it on a nearby counter. Before taking the wrapping off of the meat, she washed her hands, stinging after the temperature of the water. She turned off the tap as the bowl got full and placed the meat inside. Sighing, she waited.

Michiru stole glances at the blonde from the corner of her eye. She watched as Haruka intently observed the meat and water, sticking her finger in the water to check for its temperature once in a while, sucking on her finger nearly each time after the water had burned it. Michiru smiled to herself once more, but it did not go unnoticed by Hana, "Miss Michiru?"

Michiru, startled, turned to face Hana, "Yes?"

Hana looked as if she were contemplating what to say, but finally came out with, "We're finished with the vegetables, we should let them cook in the boiled water."

Realizing that they had indeed finished, she nodded and took the cutting trays to the pot. She let the vegetables drop into the pot one by one; making a popping sound each time one hit the water. When she had dropped the last of the vegetables in, she sighed and looked into the pot. The bottom of the pot was barely visible by the vegetables floating and submerged in the water. She took the top of the pot and placed it in its place. She then turned to Hana, who was waiting patiently for her next instruction, "What do we need to do now?"

Michiru smiled and walked towards the back door, "Now, we need to see if they set the table correctly. I trust Mr. Whittaker fully, but you never know right?"

Michiru was about to leave when she heard Haruka yelp. Startled by the unexpected noise, Michiru worriedly turned her attention on the blonde. Haruka had one eye closed and was holding her left hand. Michiru hurried to her side and had a bewildered look in her eyes. Looking closely, Haruka's left hand had a long cut on the side. Sighing in playful annoyance, she looked into Haruka's eyes, "Heh, sorry, I shouldn't have been playing with knives." She held up the small knife she picked up from where Michiru had left it on the counter.

"What could you have possibly been doing with a knife?"

"Well…I was tossing it in the air. This usually doesn't happen, but it happens sometimes. Once, it actually was stabbed into the middle of my palm. Hurt like hell." Haruka told her story proudly.

Michiru shook her head. It was then that Hana decided to intervene, "Well Miss Michiru, I'll go check on the table placement, you should stay here and give big bad Lieutenant Tenoh a 'fix-up'." She giggled as she left through the back door.

Haruka was staring lasers straight at where Hana used to stand. Michiru sighed again and took a cloth and used the water to moisten it. She took Haruka's hand and began to wipe the blood off the wound, trying to stop the flow. Haruka could only look as Michiru tended her 'wound'. She could smell her. The scent of the woman named Michiru Kaioh; a scent that would taunt her as long as she kept close proximity to the woman before her. It was the scent of lightly applied sweet perfume, with a mixture of her own natural scent, one that could not be put into words.

Then, it hit her. Michiru had a date tonight. She couldn't believe it. Michiru had a date. So, curiosity, mixed in with a faint jealousy for some reason got the better of her and she asked, "Where are you going on your date tonight Michiru?"

Michiru stopped what she was doing and looked up at the blonde. Haruka had a passive look on her face, as if she didn't really care, though on the inside she was dying to know. Not even leaving a smile on her face, Michiru went back to trying to stop the flow of blood, "I'm going to the town picnic with…with an old friend…"

Haruka's eyes became even more flooded with curiosity, "An old friend?"

"Yeah…we haven't seen each other in a while."

"I see…what's your history with each other?"

Michiru once again stopped what she was doing and turned to the questioning blonde. She raised an eyebrow and said, "Why are you asking all this all of a sudden?"

Haruka had to think fast. She then remembered the conversation she had earlier with Michiru, "I told you about me. Now it's only fair that you do the same."

Michiru sighed and smiled a little, "You're right I suppose. Anyways, he was my…well…he was my ex-fiancé."

Haruka's impassive expression turned into one of surprise as Michiru uttered those words, "fiancé?"

Michiru nodded and sighed again, "We were engaged three years ago. He proposed to me the night of that year's town picnic." Michiru sprayed water on the now red cloth. She then placed soap in the middle of the cloth and rubbed it together. She went back to Haruka's wound, "He was so romantic that night." Her voice was reduced to a whisper. As the soaped cloth touched Haruka's wound, she flinched a little, "At the time, it was the happiest day of my life." She smiled up at Haruka.

Curiosity now completely taking over Haruka; she urged Michiru on, "So what happened?" she asked quietly, though her urgency could be heard almost perfectly clear in her tone.

Michiru laughed…bitterly? She continued to clean the wound absently as she continued her story, "He left two months later."

Haruka couldn't believe it. Who in their right mind would leave Michiru? Why would they ever do something so stupid? How could they do that to her? Haruka felt anger slowly rising in her chest, "Why?" she asked, trying to keep the anger out of her voice as best as possible.

Michiru sighed and rinsed the soapy cloth. She then began to wipe off the soap from the wound, "He joined the army."

Haruka couldn't believe what she was hearing. Michiru had been left by a man who chose the army instead of her, yet here she was, nursing a soldier as if her life depended on it. Haruka felt guilty for some reason. She just couldn't believe what she had just heard. Finding no words to say, Haruka said, "What army?"

Michiru took away the wet cloth and replaced it with a dry one. She laughed, "You could have the chance to ask him tonight at the picnic if you show up."

"Wait, who is he?"

"You've already met him. Harrison Wheeler."

Haruka immediately stood up, "That Hal guy?!" Michiru tugged on her arm with a maternal look on her face.

"Yes, now sit down. Let me finish this."

Haruka did as she was told, but the troubled expression on her face did not dissipate as easily as she sat down. The room was quiet as Michiru finished cleaning and dressing the long cut on Haruka's hand. Haruka was deep in her thoughts just as Michiru was. _Fiancé huh? I wonder if she still has feelings for him…_Haruka couldn't get these thoughts out of her head. For some reason, the though of the young doctor being with someone else made her blood boil like crazy. She wanted to rip this Harrison Wheeler into pieces, one; for leaving Michiru two months after proposing, and two; for making her so angry.

Michiru herself was lost in deep thoughts as she automatically dressed Haruka's wound perfectly. _What does she think of me now? _Unable to shake these thoughts from her head, she was in complete confusion. What did it matter what the blonde soldier thought of her? They were merely friends. Though she thought she felt more than friendly disappointment when Haruka hadn't mentioned going to the picnic, or asking her to go.

Haruka was the one to break the silence, "So you're going on a date with him for…what reason?"

Michiru thought about the question for a while and after a while gave an exasperated sigh, "Honestly, I don't know. I feel bad for him. It's been a while since he's been back from the army, and you know, he doesn't get long before they drag him back. For him to want to spend some of that short lived time with me seems so…desperate. He's been trying to reach out to me ever since I called off the wedding almost a year and a half ago."

Still trying to process what Michiru was saying through her mind, Haruka didn't say a word. Luckily, the heavy atmosphere was broken as Hana came through the door, a smile on her face, "The table's set." She said.

Michiru nodded and headed to the boiling pot of vegetables and water. The steam arose from the large lidded pot as she lifted the top off and placed it on a nearby counter. Michiru then turned to Haruka, "Can you help with this? We need to carry it to the table outside. It's bigger."

Haruka nodded, a blank expression on her face, making Michiru's smile falter as she neared. The tall soldier took the towels she was offered and lifted the pot by the side handles, using the towels to keep her hands from getting burned. Michiru quickly added some salt, pepper, and other spices to the concoction before Haruka walked off and disappeared through the back door. When the blonde was out of view, Michiru turned to the sink. She picked up the now defrosted meat and placed it on a cutting board on the counter.

She then walked over to the oven and set it at 450 degrees. Taking a new knife, she cut the meat up into small bite sized pieces. Hana, noticing the strong atmosphere between Michiru and Haruka decided it was best to just quietly join. She too took a knife and started to cut the meat. The room was quiet, while the outside was filled with laughter and merry cries. Michiru sighed as they made quick work of the meat and she readied an oven tray with foil for it. Placing the meat carefully on the tray, she inserted in into the oven and closed the door.

"Is that it?"

Michiru nodded, "Hana?"

"Yes?"

"I trust you can take care of everything else?" she looked at the time; it was a little over five pm. Time just flew by, "I need to get ready for a date tonight."

"Date?"

"Yes."

Hana looked out the back door, "But…with who?"

"Hal; you remember him."

Hana had disappointment clear in her voice, "Oh…" Just as Michiru was about to disappear through the curtains of the kitchen Hana quickly added, "Miss Michiru…" Michiru slightly turned her head to Hana, "Be careful…you never know whe-"

Michiru cut her off abruptly, "I know Hana. Thank you for your concern." With that she disappeared.

Hana let out a long sigh and shook head, before walking out the back door.

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**Well that's chapter…5? Yeah…5 :D I hope you enjoyed it and it didn't disappoint anyone! There is ALSO a very good reason for what happens in this chapter, so don't kill me, or you won't find out 8) anyways, here are those A/N you love so much THANK YOU REVIEWERS:**

**Shiznats – LOL I'm sorry you don't like my RUKA xD but secretly…I know you love her as much as any other Haruka out there! EVEN MORE CUZ SHE"SSS MIIIIIINNNNEEEE but not really. Cuz that could deal me some lawsuits…lol thanks for reviewing as always, your review made me laugh :) REVIEW AGAIN :D please…**

**Starscream – that's a good idea. I guess I kind of rushed Haruka's whole history thing. I think I'll make a future chapter about Haruka's past. I think the readers deserve to know a little more BG on Haruka. And thanks, I'm glad you're still enjoying the story, as always your reviews inspire me. I'd be glad if you reviewed again 8)**

**Pyunji – lol, as you can see, Haruka is being a wimpy wimp wimpy butt right now. Who knows, maybe she'll change, maybe not…the world will never know…LOL just kidding, thanks for reviewing and if you want to find out…READ xD and then review cuz getting a review is like eating a warm and soft chocolate chip cookie 8D**

**Agaboo – xD I think Hiro is cute too…I love the little whipper snapper…I'll love you too if you review again LOL thanks and ya…MIA needs to UPDATE…I have taken the initiative because I feel it is my duty as a fan…o.o LOL review again please!**

**Thenightwithin – LOL nobody likes Hal, and you guys don't even know ANYTHING about him yet! I love you guys…you are such…haters…it warms my heart to know my readers understand the feelings I have towards somecough of my characters8) review again and I'll make him more hateable :D**

**Lykopis – lol, thanks for the review and I hope Haruka punches him in the face too LOL I can make that a reality…xD thanks again, and REVIEW AGAIN :) **


	6. When Times get Tough

**Ok guys, this chapter is late…sorry. I finally understand why it takes authors such a long time to update. There's no time! Luckily, my English teacher was kind enough to not give us homework, so I had time to do the rest of my homework and write this :) so yeah. Ok, I'll shut up now. Remember to Read and Review! Honestly, also part of this update being late was because I got a decent amount of reviews, so I was motivated...but you could have done better! ; ok, I'll shut up now. Enjoy, and sorry for mistakes and all that.**

**Summary: 1944. Eastern Europe. After suffering a great loss, Lieutenant Haruka Tenoh and her small group of men retreat to a town nearby the mission area looking for a doctor. Upon arriving she bumps into a woman with Aqua blue locks. But when June 6****th**** arrives and Haruka is needed in her fated battle, a choice must be made.**

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**When times get tough**

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Haruka inhaled deeply the night surrounding her. She let the wind play with her hair, and she closed her eyes; wishing that when they opened, she wouldn't feel depression tugging at her heart so fervently. She stared, through half lidded eyes, at the scene before her. The stars shone with brilliance, a beauty she had never witnessed in all her years in the camps at war, while walking through thick threaded forests, and while trudging up and down city streets, watching out for bullets here and there. Tonight, she noticed it all, the way the stars contrasted with one another, the glow making her feel so surreal, so calm. But then, there were the clouds to the North, clouds that didn't seem very friendly. They were dark and misty. Evil almost.

Haruka was oblivious to the staring she had attracted. The men of her company had been sitting there, Hana inside the kitchen, staring at her for the past few minutes. They worried about her. She had never been so distraught before. Her movements during dinner was always sluggish and unlike her in many ways. It was a while until Harbory finally sighed and took to the table, "What do you think's botherin' her?" he turned a worried glance over to Whittaker.

Whittaker briefly returned the glace before averting his gaze to his commanding officer, "I don't know." Was all he said.

Cho was next to speak as he crossed his arms and leaned back into his chair, previously disposing of a used toothpick, "Well this isn't like her at all. Let me tell you something, the Lieutenant I know would never sulk and stare at the stars. She's always been so full of life, daring, mischievous even!"

Langley motioned for him to keep his voice down, but he too took to the task of watching over Haruka, "In all my years working with her, she's never been this…troubled…over something. Someone should go talk to her." He looked around the table and met gazes with the five men around him. They all looked at him sheepishly, even Whittaker.

They were silent. It was when Hana came through the back doors that everyone, including Haruka, averted their gazes and thoughts. She smiled at them all and clasped her hands in front of her lap, "It's getting chilly, we should all be getting inside." She said it with a motherly tone, almost chiding them. They smiled at her and feigned groans of annoyance and whined terribly as they filed into the door one by one. Haruka was the last and Hana's words stopped her, "You seem…" she searched for the right words for hinting at her point, "distracted…" she finally let out.

Haruka didn't turn to face her, but instead sighed and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder before following the others inside the house. Hana came in a few minutes later, used candles in her hands. The men were idly chatting by some counters. Then, using his peripheral vision, Pete noticed Hana talking to Haruka. He watched as Haruka's expression remained indifferent until Hana placed a hand on her cheek and look at her closely. Finally, he noticed Haruka sigh and nod almost reluctantly and move to the direction of the living room.

Hana sighed and wiped her hands on her apron idly. She noticed Cayman's lingering gaze and gave him a reassuring smile before approaching the group. The chatter stopped and all eyes were on her, their happy and carefree features replaced with disconcerting one. Whittaker, as usual, was the first to speak when he said, "Is everything all right?"

Hana merely shook her head and smiled, "It never ceases to amaze me," They bore puzzled looks on their face, "how caring you are for each other, and especially your commanding officer. She looks like she can cause a lot of trouble sometimes."

Riley smiled, "Yep, she's…" he blinked once, twice, "Wait…you knew she was…well…a she?"

Hana giggled and washed her hands in the sink, "What can I say…women's intuition?" they all murmured surprise to each other and contemplated to themselves. Hana merely continued to laugh and once she finished washing her hands, she pointed to the living room, "Now, all of you need to go clean up. We're going to the town picnic tonight. It'll be a late night event so you all need to hurry, so go on." She shooed them to the living room and yelled out through the door, "And don't fuss over the shower! Take turns! You're clothes should be neatly stacked on the couch, I placed them there after dinner, you should be able to tell which is yours."

From the living room she could hear a nearly muffled, "Yes ma'am" as the shuffling of feet and the quiet whispers of who got to use the shower first filled the room. Hana closed the curtain and her eyes and shook her head. It was going to be a long night.

By now, Haruka had finished her trudge up the stairs, though she couldn't bring herself to knock on Michiru's door. She just stood there, staring at the oak door, which she believed was mocking her. She finally had enough. She clenched her fists and faced the door with her chin high. Slowly, almost reluctantly, she let the knuckles of her right hand softly make contact with the roughness of the wood. From inside, she heard a soft, "Just a second." A few seconds later, the same voice returned, "Come in."

Haruka took a deep breath and let her hand linger on the doorknob for a few seconds before entering. She peeked shyly into the room and scanned the room for Michiru. She found Michiru by her vanity table to the left of the room, the foot of the bed a mere 2 feet or so from the edge of the light wooden chair. Michiru sat sideways on the chair, her hair flowing down her right shoulder, glistening in all its glory. Haruka couldn't help but stare.

Michiru wore a pleated blue skirt that stopped midway down her knee, and she wore a sleeveless matching blue blouse with a simple white collar. The clothes looked so crisp and clean, they looked as if she had never worn them a day in her life. But, what Haruka loved most must have had to be the way her hair shone, even when the light was so dim in the room. The aquamarine color accented her blue eyes in an odd sort of contrast. To most, they would seem almost the same, but to Haruka, the difference was nearly mind boggling.

Haruka caught herself staring before Michiru did. Luckily, the girl was immersed in thoughts of her own. Michiru then averted her gaze to Haruka when she felt that two piercing green orbs were looking at her, smiling, she pointed to the edge of her bed, "Sit." Haruka sat with no fuss.

"So, you're leaving soon huh?" Haruka looked placidly at the wall hung clock above the old dresser. Michiru glanced at it as well and smiled again.

"Yes."

There was silence for a while as the two thought of things to say to each other. Haruka wished that Michiru would say something, that she would trust her, even if they met only yesterday. Haruka felt like her ties to Michiru were much stronger than they really seemed. Haruka felt so much when it came to the aqua haired doctor who had treated her like a close friend the first time she laid eyes on her. The day she bumped into her in the street, the way she took care of her when she was ill, they way her eyes always glinted with that shine of worry, of happiness, of life.

Haruka finally broke through the silence with her words, "I'm sorry for how I acted before dinner…" She rubbed her right arm vaguely.

Michiru raised her eyebrows and studied the honestly sorry blonde before her. She took a small few minutes to get up from her vanity table and take a seat next to the blonde. Michiru gave a tender smile and nearly whispered back, "What are you sorry for exactly?"

Haruka's brow creased and she held a frown on her face, one that held so much confusion in them, "I'm sorry…to be honest…I don't know what I'm sorry about. I guess I'm sorry for reacting the way I did to your explanation, you know, with the whole 'that Hal guy' reaction." As these words slipped out of her mouth, Haruka tasted the bitterness in them, as if they were a lie. But at the moment, she would live with it, until she really found out the reason for apologizing to this amazing beauty before her.

Although she found it as an odd thing to apologize for, and so solemnly as well, Michiru only nodded and said, her smile never faltering once, "Don't worry about it. You didn't know."

Haruka's frown started to dissipate as a small smile crept its way unto her face. The room remained in silence for the next few minutes, surprisingly, a calm and comfortable silence, almost familiar. The only sound that could be made out was the constant ticking of the clock above Michiru's bed. _I'm sorry…? About what? Gah, Haruka you idiot…_

Michiru finally broke the silence and got up from the bed, "Well Haruka, I really should be leaving soon. He'll be waiting for me." Haruka tilted her gaze to meet the blue eyes, now hazy with the laziness of the night. Carefully, Haruka got up from the bed, placing herself now mere inches away from Michiru's body. They stayed there for a few seconds, like an imaginary hug between them, keeping each other warm in the other's field of heat. It was seconds into this moment that Michiru broke it once more, "Will you be staying the night?"

Haruka shrugged indifferently and kept her breathing slow and steady, nearly matching Michiru's own, almost sluggish, pace, "Probably not, I've been itching to go find out where the guys were staying, you know, so I can keep an eye on them."

"I see, well, a roof is always here for all of you. An act of my appreciation."

"Like I said, it wasn't a big deal."

Michiru finally broke eye contact and tucked a strand of hair behind her left ear, "I guess I'll go now. Come visit ok?"

"I will; thank you."

Michiru nodded and left the room. Puzzled as to why she left Haruka in _her_ room, Michiru walked down the stairs, nearly in a daze. For some reason, it felt so natural. It was like she had done it all her life, like the blonde had been there all along. Quickly shaking these thoughts out of her obviously delusional mind, Michiru wandered to the front of the living room where she was met with the friendly faces of the soldiers in Haruka's group. All had either taken a shower, forced in by Hana, or had washed their faces, hands, and hair. They all looked…presentable. Michiru smiled at them and said, "Looks like all of you are planning to go out tonight. I hope you have fun."

Remembering what Hana had mentioned about not telling Michiru about going to the picnic, they all smiled and waved at her, and Riley said to her, "Hope you have your own fun there Miss Kaioh!" He smiled widely.

Michiru giggled and kept heading towards the door. Before leaving, Michiru turned her head slightly and said, "You're all welcome to stay tonight, and however many you'd like…she eyed the top of the stairs quickly, though I suppose your Lieutenant would be against that no?"

They all laughed and yelled a thanks as she hurriedly left the front porch of her home, afraid of being tardy to this 'date' she had gotten herself into. As she walked down the street, she sighed. Honestly, she had no idea why she had chosen to agree to the date. She knew that they were all going to the picnic tonight, though she thought they probably wanted to hide it from her, not wanting to ruin her 'date'. How she wished she could've gone with them and…_Haruka…_Michiru nearly jumped in her spot. Where did that come from?

Once again shaking her head free of thoughts of the blonde soldier, Michiru continued walking down the street at a quick pace, instantly feeling the wind picking at her bare arms. She had been in such a hurry to leave that she had forgotten her sweater inside her room. Cursing silently to herself, Michiru hugged herself to keep from getting a cold. Michiru scoffed to herself and kept rubbing her arms to keep them warm, though she knew how futile it was.

Deciding that she would just deal with it, Michiru kept her eyes open. She looked around her. Tonight, almost all the town was out and about. Here and there she saw men and women walking together, young lovers as well. They all walked hand in hand, arm in arm, step by step. Michiru felt jealousy for them. The first thing that popped in her mind was that of short blonde hair and a smirk that could have come from the joker himself.

Michiru smiled softly to herself and this time, she didn't shake her head free of the thoughts of this 'mystery' lover in her mind. Michiru once again looked around her. The moon was out, and it was beautiful. The Fullness of it was mesmerizing. Sometimes, she felt herself staring at it like she would a lover. She couldn't get enough of it. The sound of faint music and noisy chatter began filling the air as she neared her destination.

The quick walk was nearly over. As she turned the corner, she noticed a figure with his hands in his pockets, standing on the corner by the grocery store. He wore a thick coat and slacks; that was all she could tell from the distance. Deciding that it was Hal, Michiru walked towards the man. As she walked, she thought again, _what am I doing here…?_

A few minutes later, she was talking distance and she could clearly see the square and manly face of the man known as Hal. The man didn't seem to notice her. He was staring worriedly down at the ground, his hands still in his pockets. As Michiru's footsteps grew louder, he raised his head slowly and turned her direction. As he began to see her face and come out from the darkness of the night, he smiled. Michiru stopped a few feet in front of him and returned the smile.

Hal took his hands out of his pockets and approached her slightly, "Michiru…you came."

Michiru merely smiled and said, "Yes I did."

"I won't ask why. I don't need to know the reason. All I know is you're here…and that's enough." He said it so tenderly, almost pleading.

Michiru held her hand out as a stop sign, slowly, "Hal, please. This is a one time thing."

Clenching and unclenching his fists slowly, Hal almost said something, but thought better and decided not to. Instead, he held out his right arm to be held, the gentlemanly thing to do, and said, "Of course, let's head out." Michiru, in her head, reluctantly took his arm and the pair went on their way to the entrance to the park. It was going to be a long night.

o.o

Haruka sat atop Michiru's bed. She placed her elbows on her thighs and sighed. _Kaioh Michiru…_She couldn't take it. She needed to find out why she was so willing to apologize. Of course, when Hana told her Michiru's strange way of speaking after she had left the kitchen, it was part of it, but a large part of her told her she had something else to apologize for, something biting at the pit of her stomach, just waiting for her to rush all the words out.

Haruka sat up straight and with one hand, supported herself on Michiru's bed, and with the other, ran it through her hair. She stared fondly at the floor under her feet. She then remembered that this was the most comfortable place she had been in for a long time. All that time, she was always running, shooting, or both. Even when she slept at night, her mind was on full alert, and the sleepiness of the night always caught her during the day. The days of the war were harsh.

Haruka sighed again. She remembered all those days she spent in the camps with her full company, all 25 men. She remembered the laughter she had shared with them, the stories, and the grief. They had been all right throughout all those missions, but one mission, one careless and stupid mission; she lost over fifty percent of her squad that mission. How she would continue to live with herself, she wouldn't know.

She remembered how sometimes at night, someone would break down; someone would just start crying, whether it was the biggest or the smallest of them. They would cry themselves to sleep, crying out the entire night, 'I killed them! I killed them!' and then sobs would replace the yells. Haruka could remember those nights where they ate dinner in silence and slept early; knowing that the anguished sobs would keep them up anyways.

With these thoughts filling her head, she clenched the sheets under her and furrowed her eyebrows. She kept this up until her mind wandered over to something, or someone, she never thought it would to, Michiru. The smiling face of the woman who had taken care of her and watched over her was haunting her mind, erasing all the bad memories. She then remembered her 'date', and the man named Hal. Just the thought of his name brought blood to her face.

The more she thought of how he spoke to Michiru, so comfortably, so calming, so loving, her anger grew. She remembered the look on his face when he spoke to Michiru. She remembered when he was alone with her in the living room. Haruka quickly became seething with anger and she clenched her teeth. The thoughts were driving her mad. She had no idea why. But she did know that she wanted to rid herself of these self destructing thoughts, and she knew the number one reason how.

In a split second, Haruka was out the bedroom door and was walking down the stairs. As she reached the living room, she caught the sight of Hana and the guys in the middle of discussing of who should go up and get her. When Cho saw her come down, his expression turned surprised, "Lieutenant!" he yelled.

Haruka walked past all of them and put on her boots with confused eyes and before walking out the front door, she quickly said, her voice neutral, "I'm going out."

As the door shut, the people remaining in the living room all stared at each other, wondering what in the hell that was all about. Hana just shook her head and turned to the group of men, "Wait here, I'm going to get Hiro."

The men all waited in the living room silently as Hana treaded upstairs and woke up a sleepy Hiro, who was quick to wake up after hearing that his sister would be taking him to the annual town picnic. He smiled sleepily and walked next to his sister, his right in hers as he held his teddy bear in his other. She then took him to the front door and fastened on his shoes, slipping on her own afterwards. The men all followed her and put on their boots. She opened the front door, and one by one they filed out. With all of them out the door, Hana closed the door behind her and locked it, running a hand through her freshly clean hair after she placed the key in her shirt pocket. Then, they began their short trek to the park, silently.

o.o

Haruka wandered around, hoping to at least find a small vendor open for a few minutes. She was walking blindly. She had no idea where she was going, and honestly, she didn't care one bit. She kept walking around until she caught a light in a building nearby. She thought of it as odd as she believed everyone was at the picnic. Nearing the building, she felt like god was on her side today, it was a bar.

Quickly heading inside, Haruka was met with the smell of beer and whiskey as she made her way through the room with a few tables here and there and the bar at the far left side. There were a few men at the tables; vagrants were the most likely reason. None of them seemed like they would have been from this little town. Some tipped their hats at her and in turn, she nodded.

She finally made it to the bar, where she took a seat next to a thin man with glasses. She set herself down on the stool and, as if on cue, the bartender popped up from where he was setting some glasses down under the counter. He was a large man, a beard and mustache covering his lower face. He had a towel draped over his right shoulder and had balding brown hair. He smiled kindly at her and let his elbows sit on the bar, "What can I get you sir?"

Ignoring the 'sir', Haruka sighed and mumbled to him, "Something to make it all go away…" The bartender looked at her as if he understood and went to the back where he pulled out a bottle of some unknown whiskey and a shot glass. He then poured it skillfully in to the small glass and plopped it in front of Haruka. Silently, Haruka first looked at the glass in front of her, studying the contents, until she finally grunted and shoved the contents down her throat.

She placed the shot glass down and opened and closed her eyes. Her throat was burning already. This was strong. Good. She pointed to the empty glass and the bartender poured another full dose, and again she took the glass, swished it around, and dropped the burning liquid down her throat. This time, she nearly slammed the glass down on the table. She shook her head. Still, she could still think of all these thoughts she wished she didn't, and again, she pointed at her empty glass.

The man poured yet another filling into the glass, looking at her as if she probably needed it. This time, Haruka had no hesitation in taking it and gulping it down. After this one, she felt her mind start to cloud up. It was working, she could barely think. But she needed to forget even more. She needed to. Again, she pointed at her empty glass. This time, the barkeep was hesitant. He looked at her warningly and she chose to ignore him and point with even more force at her glass. Sighing, the barkeep poured another stream of the liquid in the glass, and again, Haruka drank it in one go.

o.o

Michiru couldn't help but laugh at the jokes Hal had made. He was a joker, she remembered, one of the reasons she fell in love with him. Michiru couldn't help but feel comfortable around the man, sure, he was her ex-fiancé who was trying to win her back, but he was nice enough. Michiru walked around, her arm still in his. When her laughter had subsided, she realized that the place she was in was so lively. There were so many children hither and thither, and they laughed and cried and played. Michiru smiled. She then noticed the couples sitting under the moonlight, or laying comfortably side by side on the grass. For some reason, she half expected Haruka, of all people, to come running into the picnic and wave at her. Hal was the one who broke her out of her thoughts by saying to her, "Michiru, are you hungry?"

Michiru instantly turned to face him, their faces mere inches apart from this action. She immediately turned red, and so did he. Getting over that embarrassing moment, Michiru nodded. The two made their way to a nearby vendor, and that's when she noticed it. There was something disturbing tonight. She looked up. She saw it. The clouds were very suspicious. They were dark and they were clouding up the sky with an air of mist. Rain.

She was disappointed as she made this realization, not that her 'date' would be over, but that it would mean the festival would be over. She turned over to the stage, where they were preparing for the music performances, guitars out and everything. She turned her attention back to Hal as she felt him tap her bare shoulder and hand her a snack. She smiled at him and began to nibble on it. As she ate, she again looked up at the clouds. They had become worse.

o.o

Haruka was so fazed at this point. She had had who knows how many shots and she was almost completely thoughtless. If she hadn't spent all that time getting used to alcohol, she would have passed out. The barkeep was concerned about his obviously drunk customer and was afraid she would fall at any second. Haruka had stopped asking for shots, but only because the barkeep had refused to give her anymore.

She settled her elbows shakily on the bar in front of her and tried to think. Even after all that drinking, there was still this faint thought of Hal and Michiru in her mind. She groaned. She decided to stop fighting it and just face it. Again, her thoughts wandered over to the reason she felt the need to apologize. She searched her drunken memory banks for anything that might have trigged anything of the sort. For the next few minutes, that was all she did. She did this until she found the answer.

Every time she thought about it, Hal was always the one she found herself being angry at. He was the reason she felt the need to apologize. She kept wanting to break his face in. She wanted to immobilize him in every way possible. That's why she wanted to apologize. She felt bad for her spite against this man she barely even knew. In her drunken epiphany, Haruka shot up from her bar and yelled out loud, "That's it!"

The barkeep quickly ran over to the other side of the bar and talked to her, "Take it easy there."

Haruka smiled a lop-sided smile at him and said to him softly, "That's it. I gotta go."

The barkeep kept Haruka where she was and said softly, hoping not to trigger any sort of rage within her, from his experience with the drunk ones and loud noises. Haruka looked at him oddly and pushed him out of the way gently, "Come on, you should sit down. Look, it's raining." He pointed out the window. Haruka stared dumbly out the window and found that it was indeed raining. It was medium rain, not a drizzle, but not a downpour either.

Haruka stared sadly out the window and walked over to it. She placed the palm of her left hand over the wet window, "It's raining." She almost slumped back to her seat when she somehow realized something again. She had no idea how, seeing as how she was nearly drunk to the point of passing out, but she remembered that Michiru had not worn a jacket when she left the room. She then looked at her own jacket and then looked at the door, "I have to give her my jacket…" her words were slightly slurred as she made her way to the door. The barkeep went to her and tried to warn her, but she merely waved him off and said, "Michi's out in the rain, I have to give her my jacket."

The barkeep looked at her oddly, but did nothing further to stop her. He knew when they were stoppable, and when they weren't. This one was unstoppable. Haruka opened the door and instantly, she felt the pitter patter of the rain on her shoulders. She began to walk around aimlessly. She looked everywhere, though with alcohol hazing her vision, it was hard to take a straight line path. She searched alleyways and different buildings, and even went up to some women hurrying home from the picnic, studying them closely, hoping it was Michiru.

After nearly 10 minutes of doing this repeatedly, Haruka growled in her drunken frustration and began walking around and calling out Michiru's name desperately. She traversed many a streets, calling out Michiru's name wherever she went, and even going as far as asking people if they were Michiru.

o.o

Michiru was still accepting Hal's apologies to her as he repeatedly said 'I'm sorry' to her. She smiled at him and shook her head as in 'it's ok'. She was about to cross the street, until she heard a familiar voice, though slurred and darker than usual. She turned her head and squinted, searching for the origin point of the voice. Hal had stopped walking as well and he turned to her questioningly, "What's wrong?"

She hushed him quietly and told him to listen. And then, she heard it. Someone was definitely calling her name. The voice was so familiar, but she just couldn't put a face to it. Soon, she saw a figure staggering out of an alleyway, and then she heard her name, "Hear that?"

Hal saw where she was listening and watching and frowned disapprovingly, "We should go Michiru, it's raining, and besides, it's probably some loony." Hal tried to gently grasp her arm and pull her softly, but Michiru stood her ground and watched the figure. She squinted. The figure stopped, and she felt eyes on her. She then saw the tall shadow move in her direction, calling her name. She couldn't figure out who it was until her eyes widened as she watched Haruka stagger in her direction, drunk.

Michiru pulled out of Hal's grasp and took off towards the blonde, yelling a quick apology and thanks to Hal. She ran to the blonde and caught her just before she fell, "Haruka?! Haruka?!" She took the blonde's face and looked her in the eye. She draped Haruka's right arm over her shoulder and brought her over to a wall. She gave the blonde a once over and worry quickly graced her features.

"Michiru…I found you…" Michiru found Haruka trying to wiggle out of her grasp. Fearing that the blonde would fall if she didn't let go, Michiru reluctantly let the blonde go and watched carefully as Haruka stripped of her jacket, leaving her in her black t-shirt. She then watched in surprise as Haruka told her to turn around. She did. She felt the warmth, yet sogginess of Haruka's overcoat cover her shoulders. She gripped it and the hands that placed it there with warm palms. She felt Haruka draw close to her and say to her, "I thought you might be cold, so I went out and tried to find you, to give you my jacket. I remember you didn't take one with you when you went out." Her words were slightly mumbled, but Michiru could understand.

Haruka's breath was distracting though. In the process of placing the coat on her shoulders and talking to her, Haruka's face was mere inches away from her left cheek. As she was thinking, she hadn't noticed the way Haruka shuffled closer to her, her hands still on her shoulders. Haruka's head was fully on her left shoulder now, her whiskey covered breath going straight in through Michiru's nostrils. Usually, she found the scent to be disgusting and repulsive, but coming from the blonde, it was…sensual and agonizingly sweet. She found herself turning to that scent. The hands on her shoulders moved on their own. She slowly turned her body and dropped the hands on Haruka's loose shirt, gripping the material closely.

Haruka's breath was coming slowly, yet steadily, through an open mouth. Michiru watched as Haruka breathed slowly, her hands rising and falling as Haruka's bound chest did. Michiru was now fully concentrated on those parted lips of hers. As she studied the delicious treat in front of her, she licked her own lips and parted them slightly. Feeling awkward with the way she was holding the other woman, Haruka subconsciously moved her hands down Michiru's body, following every curve, to her waist. Her hands were lightly placed there, afraid that in her drunken stupor, she would hurt the woman in front of her.

Since she was drunk, Haruka had this boldness that she normally would never even think to have. Haruka pulled Michiru's body even closer, hearing the other woman make a sharp intake of breath, Haruka nearly pulled away, but relaxed as Michiru too calmed under her touch and they lived as one. Haruka watched as Michiru clutched to her, her eyes wandering to the shorter woman's now slightly parted lips. Haruka could feel her heat radiating nicely, even through the rain, she felt like she was about to burn up. At this point, Michiru's eyes were averted to the side, her face glazed an innocent pink.

Haruka couldn't take it. The sight of Michiru was too much for her. She took a deep breath and kissed the top of Michiru's head, causing the woman to look up to her hazy green eyes in surprise. Haruka had a serious, yet gentle look on her face, even if she was drunk. Michiru felt her closing in. She could feel the intensity of Haruka's liquor covered breath increasing by the second, and by reflex, she parted her own lips. In a matter of seconds, their lips met. Even though drunk, Haruka remained her gentlemanly self. Michiru tightened her grip on Haruka's shirt, never knowing that a kiss could feel so gentle.

As Haruka felt this slight tug on her shirt, she had a slight jerk of thought, but it left as quickly as it came. If sober, Haruka would have thought that it was some sort of vague rejection, but luckily, she was not. Haruka instead pulled her closer and pushed herself into Michiru's mouth. Slowly, Haruka's tongue parted Michiru's willing mouth and began its invasion. Michiru moved her arms to Haruka's neck and pulled the blonde's head closer. Soon, she joined Haruka's tongue in the dance they had so quickly created. They opened and closed their mouths accordingly, and every time their lips opened as it moved, their tongues darted out and chased each other. Ignoring the stares they received for displaying such intense affection in public, the two continued, that is, until Michiru felt Haruka slowly falling under her grasp.

Their lips parted as Haruka, breathless, began to slump down, but with the help of Michiru, remained on her two feet. The blonde looked at the doctor, who turned an even brighter red than she had been; which wasn't from the rain. Haruka smiled gently, the alcohol still clearly in her system, and she passed out. It was then that Michiru heard the familiar voices of Haruka's rowdy company. Whittaker was waving to them, rushing to his Lieutenant. As Whittaker arrived, Michiru reluctantly handed the now unconscious Haruka to Whittaker as he took her on his strong back and asked, "What happened?!" yelling to overcome the now pounding rain.

Cho came up to him and said, "She's drunk, obviously!" As the men fussed over what was going on, Michiru merely stood there and reached a hand to her lips, still feeling the static from their kiss. _Their _kiss. Haruka's and her own kiss. _2 days Haruka Tenoh…look what you've done to me…_Michiru smiled faintly as the group made their way back to her home, the rain quickly dissipating the spot where they once stood together.

* * *

**Petiyaka - :D as you can see, there will be some postponage on the picnic…but trust me…it'll still be fun…I have my ways ;) make a prediction to me this review…and then you'll find out next chapter how I make the picnic 'fun' :D thanks!**

**Shiznats – O.O really??? xD and that children, is why you never let me near a kitchen. No I didn't know that if you repeatedly put meat in hot water it does bad things to it…LOL thank you, I'm actually grateful…we all learn new things every day no? and as for day by day actions, I don't really understand…though I have an idea…I'd love it if you explained so after this chapter I could fix it! And of course review again! I love your reviews. Really I do. You've reviewed like all my stories and chapters! How could I not?**

**Agaboo – as you can see…she already knew…ooooo…I wouldn't want to be near Hana and have her look straight through me…LOL but don't worry…something fun will happen soon with Haruka and Hal. So be sure to read next chapter! And please please please review again! It makes me so happy to answer reviews, because obviously, I like to talk a lot xD thanks**

**Lykopis – kill them off you say??? Hmmm…you'll have to find out. I can be pretty twisted you know…lol, but you reviewed cuz I asked??? I'll be sure to ask more often then! Like…right now! Lol, review again and I'll be happy to make the next installment a good one! xD thanks**

**Starscream – I read the e-mail and I still take your comments and your suggestions to heart. Most of my story is based on what you told me, about this and that. I will write the chapter I spoke of soon, and I'd be glad to use any and all suggestions you have for me. I really thank you and can't wait for your next review! Thanks and let me know what you think. :) **

**All right guys and girls, so that was chapter…6…yeah…xD I hope you enjoyed it and I know you're all anticipating the aftermath of Haruka's little drunk parade. I'll write when I can and of course, I'll be even more motivated if you guys review for me! thanks guys and geez all of you want me to make Haruka kick Hal's ass! He isn't even that bad! ;) but we'll see… Read and review guys! Thanks.**


	7. Of Strength and Courage

**Ok guys, here is Chapter 7. This one's a bit short…at least I feel that way. Sorry. But I felt that it need to be short, it wouldn't have fit well if I added in more stuff…anyways…GUESS WHAT?! Fallen-Soldier updated MIA!!! YAY! Everybody go to MIA story and give good ol' Fallen-Soldier a big ol' bear hug:D I was so happy…I don't know if he updated because he really did get angry that I made a story similar to his…or what…but I'm HAPPY! YAY! Sorry…well onwards!**

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**Of Strength and Courage**

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The chattering of numerous amounts of people bade Haruka to awake from her slumber. She groaned and cursed under her breath, she was having such a nice dream. In this dream, she and Michiru kissed romantically under the moonlight as the rain came down upon them. She thought about the dream, but was brought back to the loud and obnoxious reality with a loud thump, following with obnoxiously loud laughter. Haruka groaned and held her head. Her head felt like it could detach itself in any moment and go off rolling on the ground.

She laid her forearm on her forehead and tried to bear with the pain of her throbbing head. She let a stream of curse words escape her lips as she realized the reason for her terrible pain, a hangover. Of course, she couldn't remember 99 percent of the things she did last night. It seemed that the only thing she could remember clearly was her dream, the kiss, _Michiru…_

As if on cue, the woman mentioned opened and closed the door gracefully, a silver serving tray in her hands, and a cherubic smile upon her face. Haruka was startled by the sudden entrance, but soon found herself staring at those gleaming blue eyes that held such a sparkle that made her stomach fill with, what was known as, butterflies. Michiru finally noticed she was awake when she turned from the door.

Her eyes opened widely and surprise overtook her features. Soon after, her tender expression came back and she spoke, her voice like an angel's choir, "You're awake." Michiru sat on the edge of the bed and placed the tray next to her, her attention then focused on the hung over blonde, "How are you feeling?" Michiru then moved a hand to stroke the hair out of the tall blonde's face.

Surprised by the affectionate touch, Haruka flinched a bit when Michiru's had made contact. Michiru's hand hesitated and the expression on her face was very near somber. Afraid that she might have hurt the younger woman's feelings, Haruka smiled reassuringly, though uneasily and eased herself to a seating position, "Thanks." She rubbed the back of her head.

Michiru nodded and turned back to the tray she had laid down earlier. She placed it on Haruka's lap and smiled, "You need to eat. I made you coffee as well."

Haruka took the mug of coffee first and let the not too hot liquid seep down her throat. She gave a satisfied sigh and began with her breakfast. As she continued to chew the eggs, toast, and some leftover soup from the night before, Haruka kept stealing glances at Michiru. The younger woman was staring out the window, a pensive look on her face.

The room was in complete silence until Haruka finished the last of her food and coffee. Michiru finally turned to look at the blonde. When she did, Haruka noticed an indescribable emotion dancing on her features. As she took the tray away and once more placed it on her other side, Michiru turned back to Haruka and dug deeply into her eyes, "Do you remember anything that happened last night?"

For some reason, she had a hint of pleading in the tone of her voice. Haruka felt that she should recap what she could remember, even if it was nothing. Again, she drew up a blank, excluding the dream she so vividly remembered. She could still feel it, the lingering taste of Michiru's soft and fine lips. The dream was so real that she nearly blurted out that that was what she remembered. Haruka looked at her slowly and answered, "I can't remember anything…"

Michiru nodded once more, "I see…"

For some reason, Haruka felt an odd guilt tugging at her, telling her to recite the dream she had. She felt guilty for having it. It was a dream of sin. It was a dream of sin against the woman who had taken care of her and her men. The room was quiet again. Michiru continued to avoid eye contact with the woman next to her.

After the silence continued on for a few more minutes, Michiru audibly sighed and took the tray, "I placed clothes for you in the bathroom. You should go shower, you'll feel better." With that, she left the room.

There was such disappointment in her voice, as if she had lost something so great. Haruka reprimanded herself for drinking. One, she had done something, presumably bad, to Michiru that she couldn't even remember, and two, she had a hangover the size of the Nazi party. She sighed and let her legs slip over the side of the bed.

Walking out the door, she heard the loud noise that had woken her up. Her men, Hana, Hiro, and now Michiru were all gathered in the living room. They sat on the couch, loveseat, and floor around Cho who was apparently telling stories. She smiled and shook her head. She closed the bathroom door behind her and stood in front of the sink. Just as Michiru had promised, clean clothes and gauze was stacked neatly in a pile on the side counter. Haruka did as she was told and undressed, hopping in the shower a few seconds later.

Michiru joined in the laughter as Cho told a story about all the antics he and his friends would take part in when they were but young children back in Korea. When she heard the shower running, her thoughts ran to the tall blonde who had stolen her heart faster than Cho could run with stolen poultry. She smiled at the thought, but frowned at the blonde's alcohol ridden memory.

She could hear Cho's voice continuing on with the stories as others made requests for stories he had apparently told earlier. But in all honesty, she wasn't listening. Michiru's thoughts stayed on the topic of Tenoh Haruka, no matter how much she wanted to forget.

She kept lingering on the night before. She couldn't get the feeling of the blonde's wet, but warm hands upon her body, and the cool lips pressed against her own, the feeling of love radiating out of every inch of her body. She was so lost in her thoughts she hadn't noticed Hana speaking to her, "Miss Michiru?"

Michiru snapped out of her thoughts and turned to face the young girl, "Y-Yes?" she answered, stuttering out of surprise.

"You look a bit…lost."

"Don't worry. I'm fine."

"All right then…anyways…I asked if you would assist me in making coffee and tea for everyone. We're all still a bit tired from last night's escapade, if it's all right with you that is."

"Of course."

The two women excused themselves from the living room and went through the kitchen curtains. Hana went directly to gathering the materials she would need for tea, while Michiru did the same for the coffee. The room was considerably silent until the two had finished setting the water to boil. It was Hana who spoke first, "Miss Michiru…you can't blame her."

Michiru blinked a few times before fixing her gaze on the girl watching over her pot of water, "What?"

"Just because she doesn't remember, it doesn't mean her feelings have changed. If what you felt from her was real…then there is nothing to fear."

Michiru was confused by the whole situation. Was Hana talking about Haruka? And if so, how did she know she was a…she? Sometimes, Hana surprised Michiru in so many ways. She could be wise and all knowing at times, and at others, she could just be another teenager, with teenager types of thoughts, "Hana…what are you…" Hana said nothing more, but continued to wait for her water to boil. When the two kettles boiled and Hana had finished preparing the tea, she placed the cups on a serving tray and made to exit the kitchen.

Before completely exiting the kitchen, she said one last thing to the older woman, "It is difficult to know at what moment love begins; it is less difficult to know it has begun, such was what a wise man said." With that, she exited the kitchen fully and returned to the laughter in the other room.

Just as Hana exited, Haruka entered sporting a new pair of black slacks and a tucked white polo on her torso. She smiled boyishly at Hana and then turned her attention on the coffee preparing doctor on the other side of the kitchen. She smiled wearily and made her way to the other woman.

When she approached the younger woman, Michiru automatically handed Haruka another cup of coffee, "You need it." She smiled and went back to pouring out coffee for the others. Haruka gratefully took the cup and began to take sips of the black substance. The room was considerably silent except for whatever noise made its way from the living room. Michiru was finally done with pouring coffee and was about to head out when Haruka's strong voice caught her.

"Michiru."

Without turning around to face the taller woman, Michiru answered, "Yes?"

"I'd like to go for a walk."

"If that's what you'd like, I'll tell Hana and the others."

"No…I mean…just you and me…just for a little while."

Michiru hesitated in her answer, but nonetheless answered, "All right."

Haruka nodded to her and followed her into the living room. Once they entered, the atmosphere lightened up. Everyone was laughing and cheering, and even Hana enjoyed herself completely. Little Hiro was sitting on Riley's lap as they continued to listen to Cho's almost absurd story about an escapade where he and two of his younger brothers were being chased by four policemen after stealing loaves of bread and meat, and then being reprimanded by their father who also had to chase them around to punish them.

Michiru elegantly placed the tray on the coffee table, next to Hana's tray, and announced, "We're going out for a bit of fresh air. Haruka still hasn't recovered from her alcoholic experience. I'm going to make sure she doesn't get lost or anything like that."

They all merely nodded, as if only acknowledging their presence there. The two used Cho's story time to their advantage and crept out of the house quietly, not knowing that Hana's eyes followed their every move with a knowing smile.

The fresh air really was doing wonders for Haruka. Sure, things still seemed a bit fuzzy at times, but the throbbing in her head had calmed down slightly and she felt re-energized with the wind blowing in her face. She felt better after having to think in the shower, things were a bit…clearer. The two walked for a good five minutes until Michiru spoke first, "So, what brought you to ask me for a walk?"

"I don't know. Did you not want to go on a walk?"

"No, it's not that…it's just…"

"I'm sorry. I really didn't want to go alone."

"Of course…I understand."

They continued to walk again, seeing a few people around the streets, drunk and weary from whatever they had done the night before, "Town picnics are always a big deal huh?"

"Yeah."

"How did that go by the way?"

"What?"

Haruka ruffled her hair in embarrassment, "Your date, I mean."

"Oh."

"Yeah, if you told me last night…sorry…I don't really remember." She caught a glimpse of Michiru's yet again disappointed expression, "But I'm sure it went well." She said quickly.

Michiru offered as smile, which Haruka knew was feigned. She frowned, but did not speak on the thought. Haruka caught a glimpse of the entrance to the now abandoned park and headed that direction silently, her hands deftly in her pocket.

Michiru was lost in her own thoughts as she took in the strong shoulders of the taller woman next to her. Michiru felt the strength of those shoulders only last night as she was held by the arms that accompanied them. The safety of those shoulders and arms nearly made her gasp as they wrapped themselves around her at that time. Michiru shook her head and tried to get the events of last night out of her head, only to be replaced by Hana's confusing words. _It is difficult to know at what moment love begins; it is less difficult to know it has begun…_What could she possibly have meant when she said that? Michiru hadn't realized it, but by that time, she and Haruka had already stepped into the park grounds.

To the left, the ruins of the stage from last night was still present, men not awake yet to take it down. All around her, she found stands that were abandoned, and decorations left to be rained on the night before. She sighed. Haruka made no emotion to the state of things around her and only kept on walking. Soon though, Haruka veered off the path and was walking towards a secluded part of the park, separated by the deepness of the tress surrounding the spot.

Haruka walked up to the bench placed right behind the clutter of trees and swung her legs over the back of it, her front now positioned facing the small pond where only ducks and other wildlife inhabited. Michiru followed suit, but instead of swinging her legs over, she walked around and sat; smoothing the creases in her skirt as she sat.

Neither spoke as they watched the scenery before them. The silence wasn't awkward, but well kept and even inviting. It wasn't until Haruka let out a sigh and closed her eyes, tilting her head back as she did so, "You know, I haven't felt this good since the day I left Japan…"

Michiru did not turn her head to face the talking blonde, but instead kept on listening.

Haruka opened her eyes a bit, "You see…the day of the night I left…my parents seemed so ready to say good bye, like they knew I was going to leave that night…though they said nothing about it. I remember the things my parents said throughout that day…a whole bunch of cheesy quotes from authors, philosophers, scientists, and the historic idol type. To this day…I still don't understand what in the hell they were trying to tell me." She chuckled.

Michiru continued to be silent.

"You know sometimes you get that feeling when you think to yourself, 'that's illogical…or that's ridiculous…or that's utterly impossible and just idiocy?"

This time, Michiru's answer was as quiet as the wading of the ducks in the pond, "Only when I've refused to accept the truth...in the world we live in…nothing is impossible."

A sigh escaped from the blonde's lips, "Yeah?"

Michiru nodded.

"And you know that feeling you get when you think to yourself…it can't possibly happen to me…?"

Michiru let out a soft laugh, "Only when it has happened to me…"

Haruka smiled at the sky, "There was this saying that my parents told me that day…probably the only one I've actually thought about…"

o.o

_flashback_

_It had been a week since Haruka told her parents of her decision to join the American army, and all the fuss had died down as her parents had believed to have compromised with her a few days ago. Day was quickly turning to night as Haruka sat in front of the town shrine, praying for safe departure. She planned on leaving that night. For some reason, she felt like her parents knew it…but had not spoken on it. They had been spluttering random sayings here and there, quoting the most famous of the famous. She had been there for nearly two hours. Her pained knees finally reaching her, Haruka sighed and clasped her hands together one last time before standing up. She slipped her hands into the sleeves of the opposite arm and began walking down the stairs. The cherry blossoms were gone now. It was winter, and the cool night air embraced her welcomingly._

_Haruka began her short trek home once the trip down the seemingly never ending steps was done. Upon arriving to the front yard, Haruka spotted her parents out on the front porch. Her mother was tending to the plants on the outskirts of the porch, her kimono folding perfectly with her legs as she sat atop them. Her father was sitting on the swing, smoking his favorite pipe. Haruka's parents had always been traditional about things. They kept a rock garden neatly taken care of, and took great care in dressing the most suitably as possible._

_Her father tilted his head up as he heard his daughter tread through the front gate. Haruka smiled at her father and bowed slightly, "I'm home."_

_Her mother turned from where she sat and smiled to her only daughter, "Welcome back."_

_Her father pointed to the spot in the swing across form him and Haruka gladly took a seat. Her father was a tall man with broad shoulders and a sculpted face. He had jet black hair which was combed neatly and dark brown orbs as eyes. His face always lit with a pleasant glow when Haruka was around, "Welcome back Haruka; how was your trip to the shrine?"_

_"It was fine. Thank you for asking."_

_Her mother took a seat next to her father and clasped her hands in the middle of her lap as she did. Haruka's mother was half American with slightly accented emerald eyes and brownish blonde hair. Unlike her father, her features were soft and rounded, a beauty for a woman in her mid thirties, "Haruka, when do you think you'll bring that pretty girl who works at the shrine home?" Her mother laughed; her voice soft and lady like, while her father next to her began booming with his deep and loud voice._

_Haruka scowled, Haruka hated the fact that her parents loved to tease her about her sexuality, though she knew they meant no harm, "Honestly mother…" Haruka grumbled._

_"Oh come now Haruka. You know your mother only jokes."_

_"Yes but weren't you two the ones who specifically said that it was 'unbecoming for a woman to make such lewd comments'?_

_"Oh but Haruka, I think Miss Kiyashiki has taken a liking to you." Her mother continued on, her voice filled with humor. Haruka felt a slight streak of pink cross her cheeks._

_"Now now Hikari, can't you see Haruka is uncomfortable with you making such 'lewd' gestures about that nice girl from the shrine." He too was shining with humor._

_"But Kenzo, I wasn't making any 'lewd' comments about Miss Kiyashiki…it was Haruka that implied 'lewdness' in my joke." Her parents eyed her suspiciously._

_Haruka was now completely red, "Hey what?! No! Don't take it like that!"_

_Her parents continued to laugh nonchalantly about the situation as Haruka remained puffing at the situation. The laughter soon died down and then Tenoh family was in silence. They stayed like that for most of the time, letting the nearness of the others bring them silent joy._

_It was a good long time until her mother spoke, "You know Haruka…" another quote was coming; Haruka prepared herself for whatever was coming next, "It would be nice if you found someone though." Her mother made eye contact with her. _

_Haruka met her mother's equally green eyes and sighed, "Mother, I am not going to ask Yui Kiyashiki out, she screams 'STRAIGHT' from a mile away."_

_Her mother laughed, "I'm not talking about Miss Kiyashiki. I'm talking about in general; it would be nice if you had someone that you cared deeply for."_

_"I have you and father."_

_"Not in that sense, little one." Her father's voice rang to her as she met his eyes. He used to call her 'little one' when she was just a little girl. Suddenly, his voice sounded weary and old, not with its usual youthful and strong demeanor. He smiled sadly at her, "She means as a lover. Someone for you to love and be loved by."_

_"I have no such person. You know that."_

_He sighed, "You talk about being in the army. You speak of becoming strong and brave from the experiences of war. Haruka, you can fight 1, 2, or 300 wars and still not know what real battle is."_

_Her mother took over, "What your father speaks of is the truth Haruka."_

_Haruka sighed, "You two aren't making any sense. Today, you haven't been making sense at all, actually! I wish you'd speak more straightforward with me." Haruka got up, "In any case, I'm tired. I think I'll head up to my room. I'd like to be alone for the remainder of the night." She paused at the entrance to the house, "Thank you, if you'll excuse me."_

_Before she could fully enter the home, Tenoh Kenzo raised his voice at his only daughter, "Haruka!" she stopped, "Do this old couple one last favor before retreating to 'bed' and remember this; 'being deeply loved by someone gives you strength; loving someone deeply gives you courage'."_

_Haruka felt something strike in her as the words her father said were etched deeply in her mind. __**One last favor…They know. **__And so she did as she was asked and the words were inscribed into her mind._

_End Flashback_

o.o

"Those words are always playing themselves over and over in my head when I'm in the middle of a battle. Sometimes I fear for my life…I doubt my skill…my strength…my courage. But you know what I do? I erase all those thoughts out of my head and create my own reality…the reality where that quote doesn't exist…and I am all powerful…I lie to myself all the time like that, but the scary thing is. It works. The next thing I know…I'm standing in the middle of a graveyard."

Michiru stayed silent, but turned her head to make eye contact with the rambling blonde next to her.

"I've killed, but for what? I'm strong, but what's there to protect with this strength of mine?" She lifted her head and locked eyes with the smaller woman next to her a gentle smile directed her way, "I'm brave…but really…what is true bravery? The ability to walk out into a field full of mines and deathtraps…or the ability to love?"

Michiru's eyes began to water at this point, her face contorted with a mix of happiness and confusion all at one time. She looked down towards her lap, where her hands were clasped together strongly out of strong emotion. She heard a slight shuffling on the bench and wasn't surprised at all as Haruka's thumb and forefinger found their way on her chin, lifting her eyes to once more lock with gentle green ones. Haruka slowly began to lower her head as Michiru lifted her own. As their lips were only centimeters away from touching Michiru whispered softly, "You remembered…"

Haruka just as softly said back, "How could I forget the fact that I'm in love with the most amazing woman in the world?" With that, their lips met in a kiss. This kiss wasn't as lusty or needy as the one from the night before, but soft and gentle, a kiss that sealed their love for each other as no other but the true kind. And as they kissed Michiru thought to herself…_it has begun…_

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Ok, so that was the end of chapter 7. I'm sorry if you guys felt it as rushed…but it's long from being over and I kinda already made you guys wait like…7 long chapters for this. LOL lots of surprises and things are to come. So continue reading if that is your wish. :) also guys…thanks for reviewing! All those reviews made me pumped! SO remember to R&R if you want a super awesome-er next chapter! xD ok and as for those two quotes in here… 

"_**It is difficult to know at what moment love begins; it is less difficult to know it has begun**_**" - ****Henry Wadsworth Longfellow**

"_**Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength; loving someone deeply gives you courage"**_** - ****Lao Tzu**

**ok, now for A/N**

**Petiyaka – lol, wouldn't want you to be late for work! xD and YES a drunk Haruka is fun…we should see more of it! Thanks for reviewing and let me know what you think of wordy and trying to sound wise Haruka! xD**

**Starscream – ah, well pertaining to your suggestion for a little tale into Haruka's past. I think I've decided to tell it in little bits like the one in this chapter. I think it'd be an effective way of telling of Haruka's past while still connecting to the present. Also, I thank you that you like my story and have continued to read it. I owe a great thanks to you and of course I hope you continue to read and review. Again, any review you may offer is helpful, whether it's my grammar problems, historical error, or any other type of problem. Thank you and I look forward to hearing from you in the form of a review:)**

**Pyunji – Yep…my Haruka can be drunk AND romantic at the same time! And that's why everybody loves her…except for Shiznats…lol…thanks for your review and I really hope you review again because you're telling me what you liked! So different is good! YAY different and drunk Haruka! Thanks and review or…I'll make her sober for the whole rest of the fic…GASP…lol**

**Agaboo – LOL as crazy as this sounds…I actually thought about using your suggestions…I talked it over with my friends and we all agreed on the dance off…xD lol, I promise that next chapter you'll find out what happens…til then…you have to give me more suggestions so I can find some solace in the thought that I'm not the only one who thinks like that! And YES ACTION! xD more to come soon…I hope…lol Reviewwwwwww please :)**

**Thenightwithin – xD Everybody was so happy…for the kiss! xD and don't skip reviewing this chapter! Shame on yoU! LOL just kidding. But it would be nice to hear from you! Thanks and reviewwwwwiee!**

**Lykopis – AH . so many questions! So…Hal was not in this chapter…or was he? LOL can you guess what'll happen next chapter? DO I hear the siren of a psychiatric facility preparing to take me away?? AHH oh and remember to review! (Runs)**

**Katie – I guess you're right. I didn't realize I made her 'giggle' so much until you mentioned it. Sorry. I was aiming for that ladylike, mature, and sexy Michiru you mentioned. I'll try to keep her in that character from now on. Let me know if you have any more suggestions! And let me know how I'm doing please! Thanks!**

**Shiznats – (Head grows big and blows up in front of computer) xD your comments always make me feel so good! But about the mentioning everything thing…I know what you mean. After I read your review on that I thought to myself…too much detail…not enough interesting-ness happening! So thank you soo much! And psst…I waited for your review…LOL I don't know why…but it didn't feel right to update without getting a review from you…yes I am guilting you to keep reviewing for me LOL but I really do enjoy your reviews and thank you for your loyalty! (favorite author?) awww there goes my head again…xD**

**Ok guys, thanks for everything and and please please please read and REVIEW! Reviews make me update…LOL catch ya next chappie**


	8. Meet the Captain

**Ok, I've been neglecting for a while now…sorry xD BUT I'm sure I'll have more time now! Our marching band just won championships yesterday in San Diego! WOOT! So…I'm sure that I won't be too swamped with practice anymore. :D anyways, I've been keeping you all waiting too long! Here is the next chapter, enjoy and REVIEW!**

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**Meet the Captain**

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Haruka opened her eyes for the second time that day to find none other than the lovely Michiru sitting next to her, gently arranging flowers on the nearby end table. Haruka smiled at the sight and reached out a hand to pull her in. As her hand made contact with Michiru's shoulder, the younger woman turned and faced her; surprised that she had already woken up. She smiled softly at the laying blonde and ran a hand through her messed hair, "What are you doing up? You should get more rest."

Haruka sat up slowly, the headache she felt earlier coming back in slow, but sure waves. She waved a hand nonchalantly in the air, excusing the thought as she watched the woman in front of her with such dire admiration. They stayed in that comfortable silence for a long while until Michiru broke the silence by shifting slightly and reaching for the cups of tea and coffee, "Coffee only please…I feel like I'm going to pass out all over again." Haruka held her head loosely with one hand.

Michiru softly laughed and chided gently, "Well this morning I had told you to be careful, and that your hangover would surely take you over if you didn't rest." She placed a hand on the blonde's extremely warm cheek, "But no…you had to go for…a walk."

The soldier grinned childishly as Michiru shook her head and grabbed for the thermometer on the same table, "What's that for?"

"To check your temperature."

"I know that, but why do I need it?"

"Haruka, you spent a nice long time out there in the rain, and then you passed out too. Let me check your temperature, your cheeks are fairly warm."

Haruka sighed and let the younger woman place the clear tube in her mouth as she once more turned away to pour a cup of coffee. Michiru blew on the top of the mug slowly, as a mother would do for her child, before pulling the thermometer out and handing the blonde her cup of coffee. Haruka took it gladly and began to sip on it little by little.

After reading the temperature, Michiru sighed in relief, "Well, you're not sick…"

"I told you."

"You never know."

"Hey Michiru…"

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry…I guess I kind of caused a scene last night huh? At the town picnic too…"

She smiled again, "Don't worry. I actually thought what you did was…sweet."

Haruka laughed and sighed, "I'm kind of disappointed that I missed the picnic though…sounded like fun. Well, until the rain showed up."

Michiru laughed again, but this time, her smile was one of grief, "Don't you think it's odd…"

"Hm?"

"I mean…a town picnic, a time of celebration, joy, and unification…while probably just a few miles off people are being murdered mercilessly by those who have thoughts they believe to be 'idealistic'."

"Michi…ru…?"

"I'd have thought you would wonder about it; being a soldier yourself."

"To be honest, I haven't thought much about it. Why _is_ the council holding a picnic?"

"They're lying to themselves…the cowards. They're trying to make us all believe that just because they haven't gotten us yet…we'll always be the happy and calm town which no one ever notices. They think that no one will come take us, use us, and then kill us; because we're still alive. Sometimes…when I sleep at night…I think to myself, maybe they'll come tomorrow. But only because I know I cannot escape the inevitable. It's only a matter of time."

The woman whispered the last part with such sorrow that it nearly broke Haruka's heart having to listen to it. Haruka took hold of her chin, concerned and determined green meeting with grief ridden and hopeless blue ones. She gently pressed a soft kiss on the other woman's lips before pressing their foreheads together, "As long as I'm here...there will be no taking, using, or killing…unless it is unleashed on them. I will never let anyone lay a hand on you Michiru…trust me…"

The blonde's words sent layers of comfort surging through Michiru as she caressed the other's cheek affectionately. Haruka smiled and kissed the other woman again, smiling even more as she heard a contended sigh from the other. Unfortunately, like all good moments, there is a time when it must be broken. Their moment was broken by Whittaker, who knocked on the door strongly. Haruka sighed. Michiru raised herself gracefully and walked to the door. Upon opening it, she saw Whitaker, who looked as if he had just seen a ghost, "What's wrong?" she asked worriedly.

Whitaker shifted his attention to his Lieutenant and said, his deep voice rumbling with anxiousness and hidden nervousness, "Lieutenant, we have some news."

Haruka creased her eyebrows together and looked at him carefully, "What kind of news?"

Just then Cho came running up the stairs, "Whitaker! I'm _sure_ it's the captain! There's no doubt about it! I know that walk anywhere!" He disappeared as quickly as he arrived.

Upon hearing this news, Haruka's eyes grew wide in shock. She quickly gulped down the rest of her coffee, continuing to ignore the throbbing of her head, and the hangover that had her seeing double of everything. She shook her head clear and found her coat, "Go on outside, I'll meet you there as soon as I finish here." With a nod, Whitaker was off.

Haruka found her boots in the corner of the room and hastily put them on, tying the laces uncaringly and loosely. Michiru watched her lover as she delved into a world of her own; where this captain was such an important figure. Her eyes grew worried and she approached the increasingly agitated soldier, "Haruka…are you all right?"

Barely finishing with tying her shoes, Haruka stood and looked down upon the worried woman. Just a glimpse of this woman calmed her nerves so much it scared even herself. Sighing, she wrapped the other woman in a hug, "I'm fine…Michi…"

Michiru sighed into the other's shoulder, and the two found themselves lost in yet another moment. Michiru took in the scent of her lover and sighed, "You had me worried for a second. I had thought that something bad happened."

Haruka chuckled, "Well, it depends on how you see it. You see…some favor the captain more than others."

"How can you be so calm when you're talking about the comrades that probably worried their heads off about you for the past couple of days? I would be a flustered mess by now…most likely crying in joy that I've been found."

"Then again I was never really lost…I found you didn't I?"

Michiru had to laugh softly at the blonde's smooth words, "You're too much."

Haruka chuckled again, her breath tickling the back of Michiru's neck, "Well I always had a way with words. Besides…" She breathed in the shorter woman's scent, "I feel at ease when I'm around you. Nothing else matters."

Michiru brought herself closer to the smooth talking Lieutenant as the said Lieutenant smiled into the other's hair, quite proud of her charm and talent with words. Soon the two pulled apart knowing that Haruka would have to go and face her captain sooner or later. The two made their way down the stairs to the front door, where they could hear loud chattering from the other side. Haruka spared Michiru a glance before their hands unclasped and the two stepped out.

Haruka was met with the faces of the men in the captain's troop, people who she hadn't seen since her initial deployment a few days back. The anxiousness that Michiru seemed to have washed away returned quickly as the warmth from the other woman's hand slowly dissipated. Haruka found herself lost in a crowd of at least fifty to seventy people, maybe even more. Here and there she felt pats on her shoulders, back, and head while she listened to all the surprised comments of, 'you're alive!', 'Good to have you back!', and 'You scared the crap out of me!'

Haruka thought that she had lost her lover in the crowd, but in turning back realized that she had never moved from her spot by the door. She merely stood there with her hands clasped together in front of her. They caught each other's gaze and Michiru merely gestured for Haruka to continue her task at hand. Haruka nodded reluctantly, wishing to hold that body in her arms once more. She seemed so fragile surrounded by all these bulky and war ridden men.

Instead, she followed the other's wishes and continued on. Soon enough, she heard the familiar voices of her own small group, as well as the voice of none other than her captain. The first to notice her was Harbory, so he walked up to her and pulled her into the conversation, "Here sh-he is! The man who managed to survive while dealing with all of us!" A roar of agreement and joy erupted from the large crowd, and Haruka smiled.

Her captain approached her then. A man with scruffy black hair, a poorly shaven goatee, and the face of a worn out man in his late forties, the captain smiled at her and landed a hand on her shoulder, "Haruka, how have you been?"

Haruka smiled at the man, "I've been doing well sir. Thank you."

"That's good to hear. Your men have spoken well of you. I must say I'm not surprised. I always expected only the best from you."

"Thank you sir…"

"Come walk with me. We must recap all that has happened the few days we have been separated."

"Of course."

"If you all will excuse us." Salutes and shouts of 'Sir!' were found throughout the crowds of men.

With that, the two embarked on their walk. Haruka caught a glimpse of Michiru easing herself into her house slowly, making a mental note to spend sober time with her after her talk with the captain, hopefully.

As the two strolled, the captain linked his hands behind his back, "So Haruka, I hear you've had your share of troubles, the loss of your men." He sighed, "Tragic indeed."

"Forgive me sir, I was careless, and in that state, I let more than a team of my men die."

The captain sighed and smiled in the direction he was walking, "Things happen."

Haruka knew that when her captain said words as vague as the ones that had just been spoken, the discussion was over, and he no longer wished to speak about it, "Yes sir."

"Well, let's talk about more recent news. Ever since you and your teams' arrival, have you seen anything that could indicate the enemy's position, next move, plan, or any bit of information that could help us from where we stand now?"

She thought for a bit, "Yes, sir. As we were en route here we ran into a team of enemy soldiers."

"And how did you deal with that? Surely you must have fought, for here you are in one piece."

Haruka shook her head, "No, sir. I masqueraded as one of their own. Luckily for me they didn't press matters too much, believing my story of being told to wait at my position then."

"Hm. Did you get any form of identification?"

"As a matter of fact, I did, though it's not much to go by. He said his name was Anton."

"Anton hmm? All right, is there anything else I should know about?" his tone had a different wave to it.

"Sir?"

The captain turned back. They had walked quite a distance away from the rest of the group, "You know what I'm talking about Haruka. I saw you with that gorgeous woman back there."

Haruka turned a faint pink, "S-sir?"

"I don't remember you being one to stutter. You've always been straightforward, unflinching, and most importantly, truthful." He glanced at her via his peripheral vision.

Haruka scratched the back of her head nervously, "Well…"

"Out with it already you silly girl!" he laughed.

"All right, all right. Her name is Michiru…"

"And…"

"And she's the doctor in this town. She took care of my team and I while we were here."

The captain laughed again, "I'm sure she took _good _care of you Haruka." His pace quickened.

Haruka stopped for a second and looked at the man known as her captain incredulously. Soon enough, she gathered her wits enough to catch up to the older man and frown at him for his lewd comment, "Captain…" she grumbled.

He merely turned and ruffled her hair affectionately, as a father would do to his son, "Oh come now Haruka, I only jest…"

--

_Oh come now Haruka. You know your mother only jokes."_

"_Yes but weren't you two the ones who specifically said that it was 'unbecoming for a woman to make such lewd comments'?_

"_Oh but Haruka, I think Miss Kiyashiki has taken a liking to you." Her mother continued on, her voice filled with humor. Haruka felt a slight streak of pink cross her cheeks._

"_Now now Hikari, can't you see Haruka is uncomfortable with you making such 'lewd' gestures about that nice girl from the shrine." He too was shining with humor._

"_But Kenzo, I wasn't making any 'lewd' comments about Miss Kiyashiki…it was Haruka that implied 'lewdness' in my joke." Her parents eyed her suspiciously._

_Haruka was now completely red, "Hey what?! No! Don't take it like that!"_

--

"Haruka?"

Haruka awoke from her thoughts by the captain's hands as he waved them in front of her face, "Wha-I'm sorry sir. Forgive my rudeness."

He smiled, "No need for formalities Haruka…in fact…enjoy these last few days you have in safety…" he had grief written all over his words.

"Captain?"

The captain stopped and turned to face Haruka. They had walked all the way to the entrance of the park by then. The captain had a sorrowful and remorseful look to his face, "In truth, Haruka, the real reason I wanted to take this walk with you was to tell you of the United States', along with our allies', next plan of action."

The captain continued to walk into the park, the ruins of last night's disaster still present. The view of the pond was nearly visible by now. The captain said no more until he found a suitable bench to sit on. He dusted himself off slowly, his age really coming into view. As Haruka joined him, he took a deep breath and let it out, "This world really is beautiful isn't it?" a long pause, "It's a shame that war slowly, but continually diminishes it…"

"Sir…"

"I feel sorry for you Haruka. Still very early into your youth, and yet you have experienced what men thrice your age could never imagine. You've hade countless guns and weapons pointed in your face, yet you continually live your life like there was no other care."

"I chose this way of living."

He smiled, "Any regrets?"

"None."

"You're a good kid Haruka…but a kid nonetheless. Age is but a number. To me…having youth…is like having immortality for that moment in time." He sighed, "Forget it. Forget what I've said. In any case, in a few days or so, a week at the most, we will depart as a whole. A large scale operation that is in need of as many able men as possible has been constructed, and guess what? We're just waiting for roll call. To be honest…when they need a lot of men…that means a lot of 'em aren't coming back. But if it means that we'll end this hideous war, then so be it. I will gladly die…if only for the youth of the world."

"Captain…"

"Why such one worded answers Haruka? You've always been full of so much fighting spirit…so much fire…" he chuckled, "It's that woman isn't it? She's made you soft…" He stood, "I am old Haruka…You are still young, so live. That's an order. I think I'll go explore on my own for a while, tell the men I'll be back late, and not to worry." With a nonchalant wave, he walked away, leaving Haruka to watch his back as it disappeared through the evening.

* * *

**Ok, well that's the end of that. Honestly, I was thinking of making it longer, but then I thought to myself, it wouldn't link together nicely. Also, I know there wasn't much interaction between our favorite couple, but I had to get the captain in there! And yes, there is a certain relationship(not like that)between the for now nameless captain and Haruka. Aaaanyways, I should do my author's notes now…**

**Agaboo – LOL as always it brightens up my day when I read your reviews. A stripper…hmm…I know the PERFECT soldier xD and the thought of Michiru snorting made me laugh so hard I nearly woke my dad up :) anyways, I ALWAYS love your reviews and hope you review again! Thanks!**

**Petiyaka – I'm glad the scene was to your liking! LOL I was thinking of making Haruka waste the moment…but then I realized I wrote six chapters of mere romance and not enough war related activities so I was like, 'OH NUGGETS' lol. Thanks for your review and I sincerely hope you review again :D**

**Shiznats – xD I guess I'm the late one this time huh? Oops…blushing in front of a monitor…LOL I know how you feel xD and yessss you caught a mistake! You get a cookie! I must say I was extremely careless in that mistake…SHAME :O and as for the rushing…if you would kindly look at the notes concerning Petiyaka, you'll see the answer, so I don't have to write it again…LOL so lazy…BUT you are right…hangover people are no fun…actually….yes they are…but they don't exactly look healthy xD so sorry for that. And again you make me faint in big headedness LOL thank you for your kind words and sharp eyes, I await your next review with much anticipation!**

**Katie – Thank you! I like the attitude Michiru had as well. An uber girly Michiru doesn't work for me either. Many thanks for your review and please review again to let me know how I'm doing!**

**Thenightwithin – lol, your review was short, but oh so sweet! I'm glad you liked the chapter and the quotes! Cuz I liked them too! Lol. Thanks for the review and please review again for the sake of this big headed author!**

**Starscream – As pertaining to your review, yes I have taken into account that Haruka is first and foremost a soldier. Yes, attacks could be placed upon them at any time. But, this is with my limited knowledge of war and the such, the last 7 or so chapters have taken place in a mere 3 days or so. Also, I realize that placing this in Easter Europe makes no sense, but for my purposes I have set this story there in an almost completely unnoticeable town for this certain plot. I know some things don't seem very realistic and are completely impossible at times, but bear with me, for I'm trying to create a story where both romance and war can merge together into one in such a short time, almost like a Romeo and Juliet type of plot line where the whole play took place in only five days. They met, fell in love, married, parted, and died. I'm trying to keep it that simple. I know I don't make any sense, but I'll try to reimburse my point more during the course of this story. Again, your review has gotten me thinking to the point where I think my brain will explode! xD but as always, it has been extremely helpful, and yes I will take more caution in being realistic. Forgive me for the highly improbable situations I have the characters take part in, I will be more careful and aware of it more in future chapters. I am eternally grateful for your review and do hope to hear from you about this chapter as well. Until next time then.**


	9. Hate is such a strong word

**Herro everyone. I'm updating! Yay! Actually, I wanted to get this update done before I left. You see, in two weeks or so, our Marching band's going to Miami to participate in the Orange bowl halftime show! Woot So…I wanted to update! I don't know if I'll get another after this one in before the trip, but I'll be gone a week, so let's see…anyways, here's the next chapter! Enjoy!**

* * *

**Hate is such a strong word**

* * *

The ruckus standing before Michiru's home had calmed down, and there were only a few here and there who stayed behind for a medical check-up, or treatment. Instead of barging in on Michiru and whoever she was treating, Haruka decided that she would find her own men, along with some answers pertaining guard duty. Now that there were over a hundred of them, maybe even more, a routine guard duty should be placed around the outskirts of the town. The tall blonde wandered away from the familiar home and left in her search.

As she wandered around Haruka saw the faces of those she had never even seen before, nevertheless met. Confusion swept around her features as she continued to see strangers, yet companions. They walked around leisurely, smiling, laughing, and enjoying what time they had to themselves left. Quickening her pace, she finally met up with a familiar face. Langley. She quickly tapped him on the shoulder, "Langley."

The man in question turned around, a clipboard in his hands. He smiled at his commanding officer and placed a hand on her shoulder, "Hey Lieutenant. What can I do you for?"

"Who are…" Haruka watched the unseen faces before her. She opened her arms widely, as if to group them all together, "…they?" she finished.

"Hm? Oh, them? Didn't the captain tell you?" she shook her head, "Well, it's not just his team that's here. I hear there's another captain somewhere around here…where he is though, I wouldn't know."

"Is that right…"

"You all right?"

"Yeah. Actually, I came to check on the roster for patrol duty and such."

Langley handed her the clipboard, "Well you've come to the right man." Haruka looked over the names on the list, "There are two boxes. One says in, the other out. The shift now'll end in a couple of hours, and the next group; they're grouped by color, see?" He pointed to the colors next to the soldiers' names, "anyways, the next group'll check in with me, and I'll check 'em in. Then I'll check the guys who were at their post before them out. See?" He pointed at some letters by the names, "It's actually a lot easier than it seems, but the letters are where they're supposed to be a lookout at, so that we know someone is there at all times. That way, there's no way anyone can approach us without being detected."

Haruka nodded absently as she skimmed through the pages. After finishing, she looked up to him, "Why isn't my name on here?"

Langley took the clipboard back, "Well you see…the captain thinks you've been put through enough and doesn't want you to worry about it. He's right. You need to recover." He pointed his pen at her arm, "That's still healing right?" Haruka nodded.

"All right."

"Don't worry Haruka. I've got things covered on the whole organization end. All you have to worry about is getting better."

"All right then. I'll check on you later."

"Aye aye." He saluted lazily, and then went back to writing on his clipboard.

Haruka walked away from him and sighed. She was bored. She thought that the Captain's, or Captains', arrivals would have brought her something to do, whether some grunt work, or…or anything for that matter. She sighed and stuffed her hands inside her pocket. As she continued walking around, she started to recognize some of the faces, David from Infantry team 1, Carl from the medic crew, Joseph from the maintenance team, and many more. They were discussing different topics, from lovers at home, to 'breaking the skulls of those damn krauts'.

Continuing past them, she decided that it was best that she returned to Michiru. For one thing, the gauze on her arm was starting to wear away. But in all honesty, she missed the aqua haired doctor more than anything at that moment. She soon arrived at the doorstep which was clear of any soldiers. Straightening her collar, hair, and jacket, Haruka placed her hand on the doorknob and opened it.

Sitting on the couch was Michiru…and…Hal. Haruka stared at the scene before her. In all the craziness of being drunk, rain, and love, Haruka had forgotten the one person she despised the most, yet knew the least. Creasing her eyebrows together, Haruka closed the door behind her and mumbled loudly enough for the two talking to hear, "I'm back…"

Michiru quickly whipped her head in Haruka's direction, gratefulness clear in those crystalline orbs of hers, "Haruka…"

Taking off her boots, Haruka approached the two and watched Hal suspiciously. Hal noticed her enter. His face quickly morphed into a spiteful glare, and he directed it straight at her, "You…" He slurred; venom in his voice.

"Hello to you too."

Hal quickly turned to Michiru, "Michiru, dear, is this not the drunk that was calling your name like some bumbling idiot the night of the picnic?"

Michiru stood quickly; trying to calm the fast tempered Haruka, but alas, was too late in stopping the blonde's growing anger, "Yes…are you the one she left to go be with the bumbling idiot instead?"

Hal growled slightly. For some reason, this blonde had angered him more than any one person had ever did, "So, you're a smartass are you?"

"and you're a jackass aren't you?"

"Haru-" but she was cut off.

"No Michiru. Let the idiot speak for himself. This is a once in a lifetime chance. He might not be sober next time."

"He's right Michiru, this is a once in a lifetime chance, I only get to kill 'im once."

Hal stood at his full height, staring Haruka straight in the eyes, "I've got half a mind to blow your fucking brains out with this." He quickly pulled out an M1911and pointed the barrel straight at her.

Through her anger, Haruka completely missed the point that it was a weapon used by the allied forces and instead said, "Oh really? Well I've got half a mind to blow your fucking balls straight up to Uranus." Haruka quickly pulled out her own M1911 and pointed the barrel at where she said she would, his balls, before laughing at her own joke, "Get it…Uranus…"

"I get it you idiot, even though the correct pronunciation is Eu-re-nes…"

Haruka scoffed, "Same difference, I'll blow 'em up there instead if you'd like."

"Haruka, please!" Michiru shouted.

"He brought this upon himself." The familiar click of the gun was made as both Haruka and Hal flicked their thumbs upon the back of the pistol.

"Stop this immediately." All three turned their attention to the door, where none other than the captain stood; fury clear in his expression, "Stop this! Put your guns down."

The two stared back at each other, struggling for the will power to do what the captain had said. Taking into account their pride, neither of the two wanted to back down first.

"Well? What are you waiting for?" They didn't budge, "Haruka. Put your weapon down soldier. This is an order." His voice rang with impatience and anger that his subordinate would deny him that long.

Haruka watched the commander out of the corner of her eye and saw the man that she had never seen before. He was angry, hurt, and confused at the display between her and this random man who she believed had never even met the captain. She felt Michiru's hand on her shoulder, "Haruka…please…"

Again, that feeling of tranquility began to invade her, and Haruka reluctantly lowered her gun, flipping the safety on as she did so. Haruka hung her head low, only realizing her mistake after Michiru's touch came into effect. She turned to the captain and bowed at almost a ninety degree angle, "Forgive me…sir…I don't know what came over me." Indeed she didn't. One moment she was on her way to meet with Michiru, the next she was pointing a gun at someone's reproductive organs.

The captain only grunted at her and turned his attention to Hal, "And you. How could you do such a thing? As long as you're with me, you will never, _ever _under any circumstances, point a gun at any of your subordinates. Do you understand me?"

Haruka quickly straightened herself. _Subordinates…_???

Hal flipped the safety of his gun on and returned it calmly to his belt. He ground his teeth together before facing the captain and hanging his head as well, "Forgive me…"

"Harrison, I thought that this little time off would do you some good. I thought you would spend it in America, doing things of leisure, not come back here, where only mayhem rules." He spared Michiru a glance, "In any case, you might be a captain Harrison, but you're still second to me; remember that." He rubbed his temples, "…I have a headache…"

Michiru decided that it was time for her to step in, "Come sit down. I'll get you all a nice warm cup of tea." She gave Haruka a look of warning to behave.

The captain, still holding his head, walked over to the couch, "Thank you doctor, this headache has been bothering me for a while now. I met up with a nice young lady and her younger brother. She said that you could help me." He laughed, "Of course you can. You're a doctor after all."

Michiru laughed softly, "Please excuse me for a second while I go fetch some tea."

Before she disappeared into the kitchen, the captain spoke again, "Oh and I'm terribly sorry for barging in like this. I heard these two idiots' voices and walked in when threats were beginning. I hope we all did not cause you any trouble."

"None at all."

She disappeared into the kitchen.

The captain sighed and watched his two subordinates have a staring match with each other, "You two…I don't understand what you have against each other," both opened their mouths, "But, I do know that for now I absolutely want to hear no more of it. Whatever it is, you two know better to settle it like mature adults, not like five year olds."

Michiru returned with a tray of tea and set it down on the coffee table. She and Haruka made brief eye contact before Michiru turned to the captain and smiled, "Captain, if you would follow me to the checkup room I'll be glad to find out what's causing your headaches." The captain nodded and the two disappeared into the sterile white room.

When the door closed, Haruka sighed dreamily and leaned back into the couch. Hal watched her angrily and clenched his teeth, "So…" he started.

Haruka opened her eyes and watched him lazily, "So?" She raised an eyebrow at him.

"What is she to you?" Hal made solid eye contact with her, watching her closely for any detection of false information.

"I should ask the same to you."

"You know nothing about me."

"But I do know you left her for the army." She placed her elbows on her knees and brought her hands together to her mouth.

"That is none of your business."

"Then what she is to me is none of your business either."

"Fine."

"All right then. Let's talk about some more relevant matters."

"Continue."

"Do you know anything about this plan that the captain speaks of?"

"I'm a captain as well, show some respect will you?"

"You've got to give respect to get it. Now, do you know anything or not?"

Hal sighed and let his eyes relax into a half stare, "Unfortunately, he has failed to relay information to me about this production that those crazy bastards back at the base are planning."

"Well whatever it is, I'm sure it'll get all of us into deep shit."

"Yes…"

"…"

"I've been meaning to ask you."

"Ask away then."

He grunted, "You're Japanese…what in the hell are you doing fighting for the Americans? I mean…what if you get sent in to fight your own country? Hell, I'm surprised that you're still alive right now. I'd have thought some guys from your own team would have killed you."

"Remember what I told you about respect?"

"So that's it? You come into the United States, give respect, and you get it? How long have you been here?"

"I don't know why you feel I'm obligated to answer your questions, but I'm not."

"Fine with me."

"…6 years."

"Hm?"

"I've been here six years. I'm lucky I got here two years before Pearl Harbor…it would've been harder for me to make rank." She scoffed, "or to be a credible soldier at all."

"Didn't they question you at all?"

"After the bombing? Yeah." She let her eyes fall into a half lidded position, "They all accused me of being a spy and an enemy. Men I had had a two year relationship in service with accused me of relaying information to my homeland about military actions and plans. Of course, I wasn't surprised. I would've done the same. But, the team of men I have now," she smiled, "They all stood up for me. They all said they were always with me, and never had they seen anything suspicious. Damn. Even with all that help, it took over a year for those assholes to stop hounding me. The captain spoke for me also. He said I was a good soldier. Of course, they made me pledge my allegiance to their fucking country, and naturally a list of death threats followed after my clearance. It was fucking great…my favorite memory." She laughed bitterly.

"You had a shit of a year then."

"Bet your ass I did."

"But again, why aren't you back home, fighting for Japan? It makes no sense. Heh. I get it, you know that their fighting a losing battle don't you? We'll take those Japs down if it's the last thing we do, and you know it."

She watched him carefully, "As reluctant as I am to say it…yes. I do feel that Japan is fighting a losing battle. Ever since my homeland started the war with China, I've had this feeling in the pit of my stomach. Then, I continue to hear about the fight between Germany and America. As anyone would, I joined the winning team. Screw honor. Besides, Japan's reasons are far too greedy in my opinion. They wanted more territory, so they bitch slapped anyone who got in the way. At least while I'm fighting for America, I can feel like I'm doing a good deed by wiping those racist Nazi bastards out."

"Makes sense."

"So I've answered your question, for some unfathomable reason. Now you answer mine."

"Weren't you the one who said 'Screw honor'?" he raised an eyebrow at her.

She glared at him dangerously, "Why did you leave Michiru for the allied forces?"

He stared back at her. Suddenly, as if noticing the tea for the first time, he reached out for a cup. Dissolving a few sugar cubes in his cup, he stirred slowly as he crossed his legs. After taking a sip, he sighed, "I wanted to fight."

"For what reasons?"

"For everything, and everyone I loved."

"That's a bullshit reason."

"In your opinion."

"You ask her to marry her, and then two months later you leave her. That's bullshit."

"I didn't leave her. I said I would come back. I asked her to wait for me."

"But I guess she didn't did she?"

"She still has the ring I gave her so long ago. That must mean something."

"She was probably waiting for you to come back so she could have the chance to return it."

"Why are you doing this?"

"What?"

"Why are you so protective of her? You've only met her a few days ago, yet you act as if you've been bound together for over the course of many years."

"I love her."

"How can you say that? Love at first sight? We all know that that is known as only lust. Who knows the length of your lust for her, when I know I will love her forever."

"Then love as long as you'd like, but I won't let you have her."

"Then stay."

"…what?"

"Stay. Don't leave when our transport has arrived."

"…"

"Take your time."

Haruka stood, "I don't need time to ponder of my decision. A few mornings from today I will join you and the rest as we file in to be transported." She dusted herself off, "'I will promise her that I will return, and I will crush anyone who gets in the way of that promise. As long as I stay true to my word, death will have nothing to do with me. Let Hades challenge me, for I shan't lose.'" Such were the words of my grandfather, who continues to live today."

The two stared long and hard at each other, feeling heat rapidly filling the room from their constant rises in temperature. It was then that Michiru and the captain re-entered the room. The two calmed themselves, and Haruka re-seated herself, "Well you two have been getting along better I suppose. Neither one of you is dead yet." The captain laughed, as did Michiru, "Now, I'm sure we've caused the doctor more than enough trouble, so Harrison, Haruka, let's move out. Thank you for your kindness and patience Doctor Kaioh."

"Wait a second Matthew." The captain turned to face Michiru, "I'm sure Haruka's bandages are well worn out by now. I'd like to keep him in for a while; to replace his bandages."

The captain raised an eyebrow at the two while Hal clenched his fists, "Very well. Haruka, be sure not to trouble the good doctor too much. You have the rest of the night off. Be sure to meet at the town square tomorrow morning at 0700 hours. We need to regroup." He turn to Michiru, "All right doctor, I leave him in your hands. Take good care of him yes?"

Michiru nodded at him, but completely ignored Hal, who was currently staring daggers at the floor. The two left the house soon after, leaving Haruka and Michiru to themselves. As Michiru stood in front of the door, she felt two strong arms wrap themselves about her waist. A deep and husky voice soon accompanied the arms, "Finally. I've missed you." Haruka sighed.

She laughed softly, "We've only been apart a few hours."

"It feels like ages. You left me in a room with Hal all on my own…luckily, I feared for staining your gorgeous carpet, so I stayed civil."

Again she laughed. Haruka smiled, the other woman's laugh made her stomach flutter with every beat, "Oh Haruka…"

"Yes?"

"…I love you…"

"I love you as well…" Michiru tilted her head backwards and let her lips meet Haruka's in a long awaited kiss. She felt such a relief when their lips touched, it was like the weight that was just suddenly dumped on her shoulder was lifted once more. She turned her body in order to become more comfortable, and she slipped her arms around Haruka, her hands clenching the back of the other woman's heavy jacket.

Haruka pulled the other woman in closer, deepening the kiss she had been longing to feel since the moment she once more woke up. Gently, she let her tongue slip into Michiru's with the smoothest of movements. The other woman let her explore the territory fully, knowing she could enjoy more now that she was sober. Soon though, she let her own tongue meet Haruka's and the two began a gentle rhythm against each other, the seeping and sucking of saliva the only sound made in the room.

Suddenly wanting more, Haruka let her hands wander from Michiru's lower back to her bottom and did the most unexpected thing. She squeezed. Michiru did the most obvious thing of course, she squeaked like a mouse. Their kiss broken, Haruka gave Michiru her most amused grin, "Michi…" she started before chuckling.

Michiru turned a faint pink and uncharacteristically pouted, "Ha-Haruka…" she

Protested and looked away from the fairly amused blonde.

"Michiru…I didn't think you could squeak like that." The blonde could barely contain her laughter.

"Haruka…" Michiru warned, though her mouth was still in that adorable pout.

Haruka somehow contained her laughter, but kept the smile on her face, "I'm sorry. I didn't think you'd react like that. Jumpy? Yes, but Squealing? No."

Michiru continued to avoid Haruka's gaze as her blush slowly died down, "Haruka…"

"Yes?"

"Shut up."

She chuckled, "Of course."

Michiru watched Haruka carefully, and the amused smirk was replaced with a gentle smile, consisting of nothing but love and security. Michiru felt herself get lost in those mesmerizing green pools that were Haruka's eyes. It seemed like an eternity until their lips met once more, and the burning passion that had been held in during their time apart returned.

Roughly, Michiru's back met with the wall of her own home, though she wasn't complaining. Hungrily, Haruka pushed herself deeper into their kiss, only being encouraged by the overzealous moan that Michiru released. Haruka let her hand trail up Michiru's leg, pushing aside the other woman's skirt as it got in the way. Feeling no signs of rejection from the other woman, Haruka picked up her pace as she giddily let her hands meet with the soft cotton of the other's undergarment.

In desperate need of oxygen, Michiru broke the kiss, her breathing labored and ragged. Haruka only shifted her lips to the other's neck as she began sucking and kissing at the warm and pale skin. Michiru held Haruka's head with both of her arms as she struggled to stay on her feet, "Ha-Haruka…" was the strangled moan heard from the aqua haired woman.

The blonde, who was busily working the buttons on Michiru's blouse answered with a short grunt.

"Th…the door…"

In all the sexual excitement, the two had forgotten a very important aspect, the door. Most importantly, they had not noticed that said door's knob was being turned at that very moment. Through the door came the last person that Haruka had ever wanted to see, Hal.

Hal opened the door with his head low and looked up as he was speaking, "Sorry, I forgot m…" his sentence was lost as he looked at the pair in the hallway pressed up against each other. For that moment, time seemingly stopped. The three were completely frozen, nobody spoke or moved. It seemed like centuries until Hal's surprise quickly turned into pure and utter Hatred. He looked at Haruka menacingly and clenched his fists and teeth together, "You…I'll _kill _you!"

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**wipes sweat from brow Whew, well that's that. I know a lot of you have been waiting for this moment, and to be honest, so have I! I've wanted to punch Hal's face in for a while now…LOL bah, I'm rambling. Here are my oh so famous Author's notes:D**

**Haruka127 – xD YAY YOU! You read between the lines! THANK YOU:) I'm sure other people have, but THANK YOU for mentioning it! Otherwise I would have killed myself because people couldn't understand my crappy writing again! Thanks a whollle lot and I really really hope you review again!**

**Agaboo – LOL, I'm not sure about making a big drama…xD but I made somebody do something embarrassing! Kind of…LOL I'm not sure if it's embarrassing, but Michiru squealing like a little mouse just made me laugh my arse off LOL. Let me know what you think and of course, I can't wait to hear your ingenious ideas once more!**

**Thenightwithin – THANK YOU! I'm glad you like the captain. I thought most people would have thought of him as creepy and old LOL. Guess not. xD I want to hear more of what you like or do not like! Review again and make me one happy review high author :)**

**Dreaded Demon of Night - blushes THANK YOU xD I feel like such a big headed author thanks to your kind words LOL I'm glad you like my writing, but I hope you tell me what you don't like about it too :D It is very helpful and I'm writing this for the fans right? LOL xD can't wait to hear from you again sank you vewy muchhhsss!**

**Reusch17 - blushes…again! AH you make my blush even heavier now! Thank you for your kind words! I hope to hear more from you! I like to know when I'm making people happy:) SEE SMILEYYYYYYY**

**Petiyaka – YES War is Heartless and sooooooooo is baseball…LOL but nvm about that. As for Haruka going back to war…well I'm sure she's about to face a battle very soon…and as in soon I mean in the next chapter LOL thank you for your review and I Hope you review again!**

**Starscream – I hope I cleared up any cloudiness about my story in my last answer. xD I know I can be just unbearable in my writing and answers sometimes, but…but…I promise I'll get better! I'm sad that there are no current suggestions from you, but I look forward to whatever suggestions you have next time! I shall await your review :) **

**Akira-kun – OMG A FAN! I'm so excited! xD I'm slowly gaining minions…err…fans…lol thank you for your oh so kind words…My face is gonna burn off because of this big ol' blush. I'm glad you like my story and characters and whatever else you may like! I want to hear from you again, if only to know that someone there cares! THANK YOU and I can't wait to hear from you again. :D**

**Shiznats – Whew, it took a while to get here, but I made it! Yay I'm glad you liked the chapter, but will you like this one??? O.o LOL we'll see. And YES sharp eyes! Those are good to have! I'm sure you'll find something else, even though I actually skimmed through and checked for mistakes xD and read more slowlier LOL (don't copy my grammar) you'll choke on the awesomeness LOL just kidding! Look how big headed your nice comments have made me! Thank you for your kind words and I can't wait for your next review! Thanks**

**Wow guys, thanks for everything that you've said to me! For those of you who have read since the beginning thank you for sticking with me! It's not the end LOL far from it, but I just wanted to say thanks to all my reviewers and readers now. :) ALSO I'd still like you all to READ MIA by FALLEN-SOLDIER, he updated a few days back lol I was dancing in joy xD. Anyways, thanks guys and see ya next chapter!**


	10. AN updated

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**Important A/N**

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Attention readers. I recently have been approached with a subject that I irresponsibly neglected to bring up during the course of this story. Some of you already know, but I received a review of anger pertaining to the plot use. 

As you all know, or should know, the plot of this story belongs to the one and only Fallen-Shoulder. To be honest, I practically don't own anything except for the extra characters I made up to flow with the rest of my story. If you didn't know already, the main plot of this story, which is, Haruka is in a war, meets the doctor Michiru, has a town activity, goes back to war, etc, is copied from Fallen-Soldier's story called 'MIA'.

I know a lot of people are angry at me, and you have the right to be. I should not have used the plot, and I should not have copied the story. I understand that you all are holding spite against me, and I understand that you are all fans of 'MIA'. I accept the fact that I've done something wrong and am willing to also accept whatever consequences that my actions have wrought.

I wrote this story because, like many people on this site, I was waiting for the story I liked to update. Most people are passive and wait it out, but me, I'm different. After a few weeks of waiting for it to update, my blood just started stirring some things out. In my mind I saw things that could happen in the future of that story, and things that couldn't. I played out each scenario and my mind only continued racing. Now, like many authors, I got my ideas down in writing, and while I was at it, I posted is as well to share my thoughts.

As I did this, I thought nothing of asking for permission from the person who owned this idea. My imagination, and my carelessness, got the best of me. I ended up doing something wrong and in turn, I made many people angry towards me. I'm sorry. I apologize deeply if any of you were offended and I continue to apologize as my chapters progress. I have nothing but respect for Fallen-Soldier and her writing. I was completely careless and should have addressed this issue earlier. My deepest apologies to everyone.

Recently, I've PMd Fallen-Soldier herself, of course expressing my apologies, explanations, and complete understanding if she would want me to take down my story. She answered back and said that yes, she was angry at me at first, but no, she does not think my story should go down. But still, there's a feeling in the pit of my stomach that just makes me feel terrible and so I have created these notes.

In these notes, I ask readers and non-readers alike what my next action should be. Some are angry at me, and some are fine with it. But, I still feel like since it's for the readers, or not, people should be able to say what they feel and they should be able to choose what they read.

In short, the main point of this Author Note is to ask:

**SHOULD THIS STORY BE TAKEN DOWN?**

I would appreciate it if everyone voiced their thoughts. I realize what I did was wrong and am willing to let go of this story if people wish me to. Again, I express my deepest apologies and wish all authors on this site the best of luck. Thank you.

**ADD IN**: Thank you to everyone. So far, the majority has shown their support to me and I honestly feel grateful for those people. So, with this outcome, though some of you are still angry at me, I will continue with my plan to release the next chapter during christmas. But, please feel free to voice your concerns and I will take into account the people who want me to take it down. If enough people ask me, then yes, I will take it down. Thank you to everyone, and happy holidays.


	11. The Death of an Ally

**First of all, I'd like to address the plot issue for the last time. After I posted my author's note, no matter how many people doubt me on it, I actually was going to take this story down because of the guilt I felt after realizing my mistake. But, after taking the note down, I received reviews of people asking me to keep the story up here for all different reasons. I received support for my story and maybe not entire forgiveness, but enough kindness. Anyways, I'd actually just like to thank everyone out there who continues to support this story and my writing in general. Since this is a democracy (right?) majority ruled. It was something like 17-3 that wanted me to keep the story up. I thank those 17 and anyone who supports this story, and my writing. I 'm sorry for those I've upset, and I hope you read my future more original stories anyways lol. Bah, I'm rambling. I just want all of you guys, if I named you all it would take up like half of the chapter, xD, to know how much I appreciate your support, in truth, I was almost in tears reading your reviews, NO I WAS NOT PMSING…LOL xD so ya, here's the chapter, it's like an early Christmas/Hanukkah/ Kwanza/other holidays present. Thanks. :)**

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**The death of an ally**

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Haruka barely had time to react as Hal launched his entire form at her, making her retreat to the living room in a frenzied fumble. She felt crushed under his weight and struggled for breath. He wound his heated hands around her neck and he squeezed. Haruka instantly reacted by wrapping her own hands around his, trying to pry his hands off as she was in desperate need of air.

Michiru ran to their sides and kneeled by Haruka. She too tried to pry off Hal's hands, but in her fear, she became weak and helpless as she screamed for him to stop, "Hal! Hal! Stop! You're hurting her!" In blind rage, he turned to her, and back handed her across the face with one hand, as the other continued to choke the now almost blue blonde. Michiru fell back harshly with a thud, the sound resonating through the room.

Haruka, through one strangled eye, turned her head towards her lover and was barely able to whisper her name before Hal placed his other hand back by its other. He turned his attention to her and growled; his teeth clenched tightly together, "You think you can just do this to me? You think you can come here, say a few words, and steal my woman?!" His grip tightened. Haruka could barely keep a few millimeters between her neck and his hands. She rasped for breath and could feel her strength diminishing with her life.

Haruka searched all around the room for any sign of any help. She saw the bottoms of chairs, tables, sofas, and carpet. She saw the scattered books on the table, and sadly, her fallen Michiru. She grunted past the image and found nothing that could help her. She was dying. That was it. Suddenly, she heard the voice of an angel, the woman who had recently been attacked struggled to find her voice, shock and betrayal slurring in her voice, and spoke, "Haruka…get up…please…" she struggled to stand, the blow and shock of it still running freshly through her system, before she passed out on the floor.

The blonde watched her carefully and winced. Again, the flashback of her father's words reached her. She somehow managed to say, even if it was a whisper, "Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength; loving someone deeply gives you courage…" Hal merely ignored her and squeezed harder, his hands red from the raw pressure he added onto them.

Haruka flinched, but her resolution was strong. She gripped his hands stronger, the strength flowing back into her. Slowly, she began to relieve some of the pressure he had applied to her neck. She was surprised she had survived this long. She glanced at the dazed Michiru via her peripheral vision, "Michiru…" she mumbled, before clenching her teeth together and pushing with more force. Slowly she relieved almost all the pressure off of her neck, while Hal continually tried to crush her with more power. She kept pushing, and pushing, and pushing, until finally there was enough room to breathe, and the two were holding each other's hands, fighting for dominance.

Hal growled at her, fire in his eyes, "I'll kill you…I'll kill you…I'll kill you, Tenoh!"

Haruka caught her breath, but struggled under the pressure of Hal's weight and strength. She turned to Michiru and saw the woman lying there, lifeless and still. Anger raged through Haruka's veins as she thought about the man who did that to her, the man who was right in front of her, and the man who was trying to kill her. As her rage took over, overwhelming strength came to her. She battled with him until they both stood; their arms to the side, linked, and full of pressure.

They faced each other seemingly fearlessly, and the two pushed against each other like there was no other option. Finally, tired of playing the obviously endless game of push or pull, Haruka swiped Hal's legs from under him and brought him down. She quickly took the time to straddle him, and as he shook his head from the impact of the fall, she quickly raised her fists. Swiftly, her hands rained down on the dazed Hal, and in fury, she repeatedly punched him in the face. She now knew how she was still alive and fighting, it was adrenaline.

His head still spinning from impact, Hal could do nothing more than lay there and take it. He waited it out, even though the pain was excruciatingly ridiculous. When he felt that her punches were waning, he took the chance and landed his own blow to her side, knocking her off of his torso. The two took a few seconds to catch their breaths before standing and taking a fighting position. Hal's face was adorned with fresh blood, which he wiped off carelessly with the sleeve of his shirt. Haruka's neck still stung from the bruise the man's hands left, and her eye twitched slightly.

Taking a few more seconds, Haruka cracked her neck and let herself fall into her battle stance. Hal again wiped the trickling blood off of his cheek and steadied himself into a kick-boxing position. The two did nothing. They watched each other carefully, examining the stances, remembering and calculating the moves of the well known fighting styles. The air was thick with silence, lest one included the heavy breathing of the two competitors.

It seemed like days when one finally made the first move. Hal again rushed Haruka, his leg already in the middle of a spinning back kick. Haruka ducked as if she had seen it coming, and stretched her open palmed hand out to his gut. Hal immediately stepped back, but still felt the slight impact of a force on his diaphragm. Quickly recovering, he sprung back at her and this time; went for the side kick. Haruka moved to the opposite side, but was still hit. She ignored the pain, spun, and let her elbow bash into her enemy's ribcage. Hal coughed out some spit, and caught his breath, but he grunted through the pain and punched Haruka upon her left cheek. She grunted, and blood began trickling down her mouth.

Hal chuckled as Haruka faltered backwards while wiping her mouth free of the stream of blood. Haruka wiped her mouth and ignored his cocky laugh. Instead, she stayed low to the ground, and launched herself upwards; her fist meeting with the chin of the arrogant fighter. Hal shook his head clear and realized that again he was bleeding. He growled and again blindly rushed to deliver a blow to the gut. Being calmer than her opponent, Haruka sidestepped and her elbow met with Hal's spine, bringing him down.

Again, she straddled him, and again he bled over the course of the flurry of punches Haruka delivered him. This time, he had not the strength to punch back, nor push her off. Instead, he reached around until he found the small coffee table, and upon it, a mug. He took the mug and brought it down upon her head. Haruka immediately fell off of him and was rubbing her head like crazy as the pain escalated by each second, "I hope you regret what you did now." Were the words that Hal said as he ran to her and attempted to crush her with his elbow.

Luckily, Haruka had enough of her state of mind to roll away from the incoming hurdle, even though her head felt like exploding from doing so. Hal picked up a random decoration of some type of planet, a ceramic, and approached Haruka with it. He swung it at her harshly, and all Haruka could do was keep rolling. She got on her knees, and when the next swing came, she grabbed the head sized ceramic planet and held it back as Hal tried to pressure it into her. She again saw Michiru out of the corner of her eyes, and again strength coursed through her veins. Strength out of anger, and love. Haruka looked at him dead in the eye and slanted them, "No…I regret nothing that I've done…including this…"

With all that she could spare, Haruka pushed the man backwards. Hal took the small planet with him. As he collapsed backwards, the ceramic planet broke, and hazy blue eyes began to open. Focusing on the battle raging between herself and this savage man before her, Haruka completely erased everything from her vision except for him. He stood up shakily and slumped. He could no longer stand tall, and nor could she. Haruka was breathing heavily, her body was covered in bruises, and her face was smothered in both of their blood.

Hal again raised his fighting stance, and reluctantly, Haruka did the same. Haruka faced him bravely. Hal charged at her again and his fists were clenched at his sides. Haruka felt little to no strength left in her, and all she could do was block. She held her arms up in an X position, and she made sure her grip on the floor would hold. A few seconds later, the impact came, and it literally left her breathless. He had punched her so fiercely, that she still could strongly feel it in her gut. Her defense lowered as she hugged her stomach in pain. Hal saw this and again he charged at her, fists in place. Haruka looked up. Again with that slow motion.

He ran towards her and each movement took hours to her. She knew that it would be the end after this hit, and that Hal would take Michiru in his arms and sweep her away; unwillingly of course. Haruka closed her eyes momentarily. She whispered softly, "I'm sorry…Michi…" before she clenched her teeth, bracing for impact. CRASH! Her eyes shot open. Before her, the man was no longer approaching her, but instead on the floor with blood slowly starting to stain the carpet. Next to him, a broken vase, which used to be beautifully painted, was shattered. In front of her was the one woman she thought she had failed, Michiru.

Haruka smiled as Michiru looked at her. Tears were welling up in the other girl's eyes, and she shook. Haruka felt her heart tear in two at the sight. It was quiet for a while until Michiru's tears started streaming down freely. Haruka felt like rushing over to the smaller woman and whispering words of comfort and apology, but she couldn't move. The sniffles and sobs of the smaller woman were the only things heard in the room, until Haruka opened her arms painfully and slowly. Michiru only cried more, but nevertheless, she rushed into the open arms of her one and only. She cried into the blonde's chest as she was held and whispered softly, "Idiot…"

Haruka smiled and held her close. Unfortunately, it was at this time that her adrenaline rush had disappeared, and reality replaced it instead. Slowly, she felt pain in every single part of her body. Her arms were sore and tired, her legs were shaky, and most importantly, her head felt like it was going to melt into a puddle at any moment. Then, as if nothing could be worse, her injured arm reminded her that she had just used it in intense battle by sending deep waves of shock through her body. Haruka's whole body flinched. Michiru pulled away and looked at her.

"Haruka?"

The blonde merely smiled, "I'm sorry." With that, Haruka slumped in Michiru's embrace, the weariness of the fight finally catching up to her. Michiru dropped to the ground under the blonde's height and weight. She watched her lover at first, afraid that something terrible had happened, but then she felt the other's chest move in a steady rhythm.

Smiling as she cried, Michiru held Haruka tightly, the blonde's state of mess not bothering her at all. Suddenly, her front door burst open, and in came men from Haruka's team, not including the captain. Whitaker was at the front, and they all murmured in astonishment as they saw the scene before them. The house was a mess, and there was a body on the floor, with blood. Whitaker quickly rushed to where Michiru held Haruka and placed a worried hand on her shoulder, "Miss Michiru! What happened here? Are you all right? We heard crashes from outside."

Michiru calmly turned to face him and said softly, "Don't worry. Everything's fine now." She averted her gaze to Hal, who still lay unconscious on her floor, "I…I don't think I can treat him…" She made eye contact with Pete, and he jumped in his spot.

As if already knowing what she was going to ask, Pete nodded and said, "Of course. I'll take him to the camp and we'll fix him right up." She smiled sadly at him.

"Thank you."

Riley spoke next, "What about you? Do you need any help around here? I mean…it's quite a mess."

Michiru looked around and only shook her head, her ladylike smile still in place, "No it's all right. I can handle all of this on my own. Actually…I'd prefer to treat the lieutenant alone, if it's all right with you."

Riley watched his Lieutenant for a few seconds and then nodded, "All right."

"Thank you."

With no other words spoken, the men picked up Hal's body and walked out the door, Whitaker staying a few seconds longer to watch as Michiru stroked Haruka's hair affectionately. He shook his head and smiled sadly as he walked out the door.

Michiru smiled at her beloved and again came the tears. They came slowly, but surely, and she found herself smiling while crying. Haruka had the most peaceful look on her face, almost as if she were dreaming a good dream. She brought her lips down to meet with the almost lifeless ones of her lover, and she gently whispered, "You really scared me, Haruka." No answer, "I'm sorry I wasn't there to help you when you needed me." Silence, "I'm sorry I couldn't be there for you as you fought." Still, the blonde gave no response, "You're selfish. Look at you, going off in your own world…Tell me, am I in it? If so, what am I like?" Haruka's smile widened just a tiny bit more. As if it was an infection, Michiru's smile also widened a little, "I'm so glad…" with those last words, Michiru broke down and sobbed once more as she held the fallen blonde in her arms.

After she had cried all her tears, Michiru said no more for the rest of the day. Instead, she took the responsibility of carrying Haruka by wrapping a long arm around her neck and dragging the blonde carefully where she needed to go. First was the medical room, where Michiru cleaned all of Haruka's open wounds, re-bandaged her arm, fed her the painkillers that she had bought earlier, and treated the bruises with the care and wisdom of a well trained doctor. Next, she dragged the blonde into the bathroom, where she gave her a bath, not even once blushing at the fact that it was the first time she had seen her lover in all her natural glory. The next and last stop was the bedroom. The small woman had a hard time carrying the much larger blonde up the stairs, but nonetheless, she managed.

Slowly, she let the blonde fall into a natural position on the bed. She walked away and returned with a heavy quilt. She draped it over the blonde's sleeping form. Sighing with all her tasks done, Michiru pulled up a chair and watched. As she watched, her mind wandered off to thoughts that she had never even once thought about. _She's leaving…_Suddenly, as if she had just seen the world for the first time, Michiru's heart beat with anxiousness, and she herself almost froze completely.

While she had spent time with the blonde, she had forgotten who Haruka was. She was a soldier, a lieutenant. She had her duties, and her responsibilities. She had a job, and in order to do that job, she had to leave. Haruka had to leave her to go out in the middle of a war zone and as chance may have it, get herself killed. This realization just barely dawning on her, Michiru nearly broke down in tears once more.

Instead, she pulled herself together. _One of us needs to be strong right now. _She wiped the tears that were at the edge of her eyes and instead shifted her gaze from the blonde to the window. It was still dark. It was amazing how time flew when you were having 'fun'. Michiru sighed and walked towards the window. Slowly, she pulled the curtains closed. But, before pulling them fully closed, she noticed a star. It burned brighter than others, and seemed like it was calling to her. The glow brought a smile to her face, and softly, Michiru whispered to no one in particular, "Oh star…protect my Haruka…let her come back to me." Again, the tears threatened to come, but as they were about to fall, a familiar deep voice called out to her hoarsely.

"Don't cry, Michiru."

Michiru quickly whipped around, surprised to find the eyes of the blonde in a half lidded position, "Haruka!" She quickly rushed to the tomboy and mauled her with a fierce hug of desperation.

Haruka flinched at the weight, but held the other woman closely, glad that they were still together. She gladly took in the other woman's scent. The smell of her was so intoxicating, Haruka found herself getting lost over it. It was when Michiru began to pull away did Haruka register back into reality. They looked at each other for a while, before Michiru noticed the bruises on Haruka's neck for the second time. She gently reached out and touched them. Haruka flinched a bit, but for the most part, she was calm, "Does it hurt?" she whispered the words slowly, before reaching over, and caressing them softly with her lips.

Haruka flinched again, but this time, pain was not the cause, "Not anymore." Was the answer she gave as she let Michiru 'treat' her bruises. Michiru worked her way up her lover's neck, up her jaw, cheek, and finally, to her lips. The two shared a kiss that was filled with so much desperation and love that it was hard to even think of pulling away. Before the kiss could heat up anymore, Michiru pulled away, and let herself fall gently on Haruka's body. Welcoming the much needed warmth, Haruka held the woman closer than ever, and Michiru buried her face in the crook of the soldier's neck.

Unable to hold it back any longer, Michiru again cried. Haruka could feel the warm wetness pooling around her chest, and she looked down at the woman laying on her, "Michiru…"

"I was so scared...I was afraid for you when you fought him. I knew that you couldn't possibly die from such a brawl, being as stubborn as you are, but still, I feared for you, and I feared the fact that I would be left alone." The sniffs in her voice were clear and it cracked more and more with each word she spoke.

"I'm fine. See?"

"But I'm still afraid Haruka. I'm still afraid of being alone."

Haruka could give no response to this, knowing full well what the other woman was talking about.

"I don't want to be alone anymore Haruka. I can't."

"Michiru…you won't be alone. What about Hana and Hiro?"

"It's not the same…I can't be apart from you. I can't let you go, even if it is only for a while. Haruka, you can't go!" she began beating on the blonde's chest weakly, but desperately.

Haruka could do nothing but let the woman hit her half-heartedly. There was nothing she could say that would ultimately comfort her, and there was nothing she could do that would ease her mind. Haruka clenched her fists together. She felt so helpless. Only a few hours ago had she been talking to Hal about leaving, and having no doubts, but now, she felt like rooting herself in her spot, unable to bring herself to abandon the angel crying for her sake.

Gently, she took Michiru's shoulders and pushed her back, so that they were face to face in a sitting position. Michiru's tears were still fresh on her face, though the younger woman did all she could to hold them back, "Haruka…"

Haruka cupped her left cheek gently and smiled slowly, "Michiru, I love you. You have to be strong. I promise you that I'll come back to you, and we'll live our rest of our lives together. I promise." Michiru again buried her face in Haruka's chest, and within seconds of listening to the blonde's heart beat, calmed down.

After laying in the silence like that, Michiru finally spoke, her words mumbled by the fact that she was talking into Haruka's shirt, "Haruka…"

"Hm?" Haruka kissed the top of her head gently.

"Tell me…what our life will be like when you come back…"

Haruka smiled at Michiru's sudden optimistic, yet somber attitude, "Hmm…" with that, she began picking things off of the top of her head, which came out as, "First of all, we're going back to Japan…and you're going to meet my parents. Hell, we'll take Hana and Hiro with us." She began softly. Michiru laughed a little, "We'll all settle in a nice cozy little home with a beautiful garden out front, a nice little patio, nook, and whatever else our hearts desire, that I'll buy after I get a contract with one of the racing circuits back home. I never told you this, but before I left, even when I was that young, I was offered tons of jobs as a racer." Michiru sighed happily and nodded for her to continue, "After that, I'm going to help you become a world renowned violinist." Michiru had to laugh at the thought and snuggled into the blonde closer. Haruka leaned down and took in the other woman's scent, "and when we're all settled in…I'm going to call up an old friend of mine from the local shrine, forget the law, and we'll have a wedding that even the gods of the planets would be jealous of." Haruka whispered the last part to her lover.

Michiru instantly popped her head up to meet Haruka's gaze. Her eyes were wide with surprise, and her mouth was uncharacteristically left open, but no words came out.

Haruka rubbed the back of her head, "Th-that is…if you'd like." She smiled sheepishly.

Michiru had no words still, until Haruka finally decided to close her mouth with her own. The two shared a kiss so faithful and soft that Michiru nearly passed out in bliss. Her eyes became glazed over as Haruka traveled down her throat, the blonde's lips never leaving her skin as she continued talking, but now, her voice was even huskier, thickened by the air of sudden lust that had overtaken her, "After the wedding…" her hand traveled up Michiru's sides, "we'll go to Kyoto, and have our honeymoon under the summer sun, together…" The blonde smirked as Michiru groaned softly at her ministrations.

The smaller woman grew goose bumps all over her skin, and something told her that it wasn't because of the 'chilly night air'. Haruka's hands began to fumble with the buttons of the smaller woman's shirt. Michiru again groaned slightly and positioned herself more comfortably upon the blonde's lap. As the middle button was being undone with her right hand, Haruka's left slipped in and caressed the soft mound under the thin sheet of clothing. Michiru had a great intake of breath before releasing out the blonde's name in merely a whimper.

Michiru pulled away from the blonde and brought her lips down to meet the ones of her lover. They kissed hungrily, like a couple that had been separated for years on end, until they had found each other in the life they had never expected to live. Saliva unceremoniously dripped down Michiru's chin as she pulled away from the kiss, while Haruka trailed down once more to the collar bone and bit at the sensitive spot she had found. Michiru yelped a little, but kept her composure.

Haruka's right hand finally unbuttoned Michiru's blouse, and quickly, she threw it aside. Haruka's lips continued to attack Michiru's neck, leaving marks of her love in a variety of places. With her left, she unclasped Michiru's bra with experienced fingers and removed the woman's arms from her neck to pull it away. With that article off, Haruka pulled away and stared at the beauty in front of her. Michiru suddenly became timid and tried to hide her bosom with her arms as she turned her slightly pink face to the left, avoiding the blonde's amazed gaze, "D-don't look at them…"

Haruka asked softly, "Why?"

Michiru watched her lover from her peripheral vision and said shyly, "they're…embarrassing…"

Haruka smiled at her partner and turned her face gently towards her own. Haruka plastered their foreheads together softly and said gently, "I think their gorgeous…just like every single aspect of you, inside and out." She kissed the other woman lovingly.

Michiru smiled a bit, but her arms continued to block the view to her 'embarrassing' part of her anatomy. Sighing in defeat, Haruka merely took her into her arms once more and kissed her again. Going past the issue of embarrassing breasts, Haruka trailed her hands even further down until she reached Michiru's skirt. She unclasped the small hook holding the skirt together, making Michiru almost jump in surprise.

The blonde pulled away and looked at the other woman worriedly, "Are you all right?" Michiru just nodded absently, her mind not really registering what Haruka's question really meant. Hesitantly, Haruka's hand continued what they were doing as her lips continued to kiss those of the one she loved. Slowly, she began to push the skirt down, and, with Michiru's help, off of the woman's person. Left in only her undergarment, Michiru finally registered her state of dress, or rather lack of.

Noticing the smirk on her lover's face, Michiru pouted slightly and looked at the clothes adorning the other, "That's not fair…"

Haruka lifted an eyebrow and looked down. She chuckled slightly and sighed. She let go of Michiru entirely as the other woman crossed her arms with a cute little pout, forgetting all about her 'embarrassing' body part. Haruka again laughed as she began to pull off her shirt. Michiru's pout turned into a look of anxiousness as she eyed the gauze that she had just replaced. She had just seen Haruka's nude body, but in this situation, it looked as different as faces in a class picture. Haruka continued to leave her eyebrows in a raised manner as she unwound her gauze with practiced hands. She threw the gauze on the floor, where it joined her shirt.

She pulled Michiru towards her once more and nearly let out a low growl as Michiru's erect skin made contact with her own. Michiru did nothing to suppress the low moan that escaped her throat as she was drawn to the woman of her love and affection. The blonde kissed Michiru with a newly awakened fire, and the two held each other closely, if not desperately. Haruka pulled away, but was still in close proximity of her lover, "Better?" was what she whispered.

Michiru only shook her head as her fingers made their way to Haruka's buckle. They quickly undid the hooked piece of metal and swiftly undid the button and zipper in one fluid motion. With Michiru's' help, Haruka was able to slip out of her pants as Michiru tossed them with the rest of her clothes. Haruka chuckled. Michiru pulled away and stared at her nearly bare lover. Haruka's gaze wandered all over the curves of the other woman, her hips, breasts, abdomen, lips, and every other little detail that her greedy eyes could get a hold of were forever burned into her memory. As she wandered downwards, she thought to herself, _one place left. _With that she sat up straighter, causing Michiru to shift her position on her lap.

Haruka placed her hands on the woman's hips as soft arms made their way loosely around her neck. Whispering soft words of affection, Haruka hooked her fingers in her lover's last piece of clothing. Michiru's body tensed at the touch and Haruka whispered to her, "Are you sure this is what you want?" Haruka's voice was deep and lost in lust as she spoke. The warm air from her breath left Michiru shaking. Without a doubt in mind, Michiru nodded, and the last piece was slipped off of her, revealing something that made the lump in Haruka's throat trail slowly down her throat.

She smiled and trailed her hand downwards. Right before reaching her goal, Haruka whispered slowly, as a joke, "And then there were three…"

o.o

"Yo Pete!"

Pete turned from where he was washing his hands and found Riley and Harbory's silhouette in the darkness waving enthusiastically at him. The medic couldn't help but shake his head and smile at them, "Hey guys. What brings you here?"

Harbory yawned as he talked, "The captain just spoke to Whitaker. He said that our team doesn't have to attend the meeting at 0700 this morning." Pete sighed in relief, "Also, he said that we need to get our rest. He received word from the guys back home, and they said that the transport should arrive tonight at approximately 2200 hours."

Pete wiped his hands with a towel. He flapped the tent open and stepped outside as he reached around the side for his pack. He stepped back inside, plopped down, and said, "All right, any briefing on the mission yet?"

"Nope, he said that he'd brief us on the choppers."

"Hm."

"Yeah?"

Langley rubbed the back of his head, "The captain also wants to know how that Hal guy's doing."

Pete stopped rummaging through his pack and raised an eyebrow at him. He sighed, "I finished treating him an hour ago. That bastard's lucky he didn't get a concussion after the blow he got. He's sleeping in the medic tent."

"Harbory smiled and said, "Well let's go then!"

Pete sighed yet again, stood up, and followed his two friends out of the tent. They soon arrived at a large tent with the familiar red cross stationed on the top and entered. The place smelled of antibiotics, blood, gun powder, and grime all at the same time. They had grown accustomed to it, having being in the same place at least once or twice. After passing patient after patient, and medical bed after medical bed, they reached the last row where a curtain covered the bed where Harrison Wheeler supposedly slept, "There ya go." Was all Pete said before beginning to walk away.

Before he got very far though, Langley poked his head out and called out to him, "Hey, you sure this is the right bed?"

He sighed, "Yes, why?"

Harbory had a pale look on his face, "Because there's no one here."

Pete quickly stared at him and ran into the curtained section of the room. In front of him were some ruffled bed sheets, a half drunken cup of water, loosened medical tables, but no Harrison. He was gone.

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**Okay homies, so that was chapter umm…11? Ya…11, xD I don't know what possessed me to write that (lime?) and then what else possessed me to stop it from becoming a full fledged lemon. Lol. SORRY I can't bring myself to do it right now. I'm working towards it, but I have a feeling that if I do write it it'll come out bad ya know? xD Anyways, ya, I'ma shut up now. As for my A/N:**

**Yea well, if I named all of you guys that I wanted to thank, then there just would be no point ya know? You all know who you are, and I do too. I read all of your reviews, and as I said before, I was nearly in tears! (NOT PMSING) **

**So thanks to EVERYONE, hate it or love it, lol, and I wish all of you happy holidays. It's too JOLLY a season for all this pointless drama xD Ah, to be young…LOL I don't know where that came from, BUT, I do know that if you guys are nice to me (or not xD) I'll post another chapter up for you by Christmas…actually, this chapter was supposed to be out then, but then I read all of your reviews and I guess this is a token of my appreciation, though it probably means nothing to you LOL I can only do so much.**

**Bah anyways. I'll see you guys next chapter, and remember to leave Santa-errr, me reviews. xD OH and THANK YOU for everyone that wishes me luck on my orange bowl trip. Next Saturday's the big day! I'm so excited…now I only have to get my mom to pack for me…**

**Oh and DISCLAIMER: I don't own Sailor Moon, Haruka, Michiru, the big plot thing(Fallen-Soldier GO READ MIA! Shame on you who haven't! SHAME!) annnnnndddddd…I don't own this computer actually…I own the keyboard…but that's it…lol**

**Bai bai**


	12. Family Ties

**Okay…sorry for the long wait. I just got back from my trip a week ago, and the rest of last week was spent catching up on the work I missed. I'm surprised I got this chapter out actually, I'm soooo tired. it's finals week, and I had to study today…and then I'll have to study tomorrow…plus I have concert band auditions…GAH…but excuses, excuses, sorry for the long wait, and thanks to those of you who have been so patient with me. Also, thanks to my reviewers of course, enjoy guys and gals.**

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**Family Ties**

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The sun. Some await its presence in the wee hours of the morning while others hide under the sanctuary of their bedding in an attempt to shield themselves from its ultimately sleep-ending powers. Tenoh Haruka absolutely loathed the sun with a constant mind set. Thus, when the evil rays of her most hated enemy shone upon her early in the morning, a weak grunt of annoyance and anger escaped her throat as her eyes squinted. Finding that she was unable to keep the sun away with her short groans and silent complaints, she draped her left hand over her eyes as she tried to block out its presence. Again, her attempts were futile as the sun continued to shine on her face mercilessly, earning another unsatisfied grunt from the blonde Lieutenant. 

She shifted around in her spot as she tried to turn away, but found that there was almost a dead weight on top of her. It was then that she registered just what had happened the night before. She had shared one of the most beautiful nights in her life with her new found lover. Just the thought of that in itself was enough to bring a smile to her lips. When she finally opened her eyes to see this lover of hers, the smile grew wider, yet grew in tenderness as well. She took the arm that was once shielding her eyes and brought it down up on the other woman's head gently, taking the silky locks and running her hands through them slowly.

With this motion, a smile formed itself on her lover's lips as she snuggled in closer to the one she loved. A contented sigh was heard from the same woman as Haruka gently moved her thumb in circles on the top of the woman's head, her other arm kept busy with the job of holding the smaller woman close to the affectionate blonde. Unable to help herself any longer, Haruka leant down and placed a kiss on the top of Michiru's head. That was all that was needed to have azure eyes slowly come into view in a sleepy stare.

Haruka smiled and said softly, as if her ears were as sensitive as a small child who had yet to get her sleep, "Good morning…"

Michiru lazily smiled back and whispered her own, "Good morning, Haruka." Before slowly reaching up and catching the blonde's lips with her own.

They parted slowly, as if to savor the small 'good morning' kiss forever. Cerulean met emerald as they shared a gaze that spoke the unspoken thoughts that they both held within their minds.

Haruka broke the trance by breaking into a completely goofy and just plain silly grin. Michiru raised an aqua haired eyebrow amusedly and said, "What?"

Haruka chuckled slightly and moved to get into a sitting position against the head board, Michiru following her as she too sat up, her slender arms holding her weight as she continued staring at the unusually giddy blonde, "I love you." The smile grew wider.

Michiru laughed softly and pressed another kiss to the blonde's awaiting lips, "I love you too."

Michiru made herself comfortable in Haruka's embrace, the contact of their bare skin making her tingle with emotions she so clearly remembered the night before. Haruka let her chin rest on the younger woman's head as she closed her eyes and let out a content sigh. She opened her eyes half way as her thoughts began to take a form.

_How do I say this to her…'Well Michiru, thanks for the sex, but I'm gonna leave you to go to war and possibly never come back. I love you, bye!' _Haruka shook her head slightly as the comical thought popped into her mind, though she didn't really find it funny at all. She laughed anyways though, a sad, remorseful, and regret filled laugh that could break the heart of any who heard it.

Michiru was actually the only one who heard it and in turn, she pulled away from the blonde to worriedly meet sad, yet love-filled emerald, "Haruka…?"

The blonde in question sighed and shook her head, "Yeah?"

"Are you all right? Is there something you need to tell me?" Michiru placed a hand on the soldier's cheek.

As if contemplating her answer, Haruka looked deeply into Michiru's determined and oh so beautiful blue eyes. Suddenly, the smile grew just a bit and Haruka grabbed the hand on her cheek with care, "Never been better. I'm just having a few 'morning after' thoughts."

Michiru was still unconvinced, but as she continued to stare at the blonde's unfaltering smile, she gave in and sighed, a smile making its way onto her own lips. The two shared another kiss, though this one was lingering, as if they were desperately trying to cling to each other with every fiber of their being.

As the kiss was broken for much needed air, the two placed their foreheads together and sighed in unison. From then on, the only sound in the room was the slowly steadying breathing of the two lovebirds, and the light 'whoosh' of the wind as it played with the curtains of the previously left open window.

They stayed in the silence, their foreheads together, their eyes closed, and their love continuing to flourish as each silent second passed by, until a knock at the door was heard. The two came back to reality as they heard the soft, yet firm sound from downstairs. Haruka sighed for what seemed like the umpteenth time that morning, and Michiru's laugh once again filled the air. The aqua haired woman moved to get out of the blonde's grasp. Reluctantly, Haruka let go of the curvaceous woman and she too removed the blankets from her body.

As she sat at the edge of the bed, she turned her head around as she heard a muffled yawn from the other side. Sure enough, there was Michiru, stretching in all of her naked and gorgeous glory. Haruka smirked and chuckled softly at the thoughts running through her head.

Hearing the soft laughter; Michiru glanced at Haruka and asked playfully, "Enjoying the view?"

Haruka continued to keep her eyes on the goddesses' body and only nodded absently as her mouth form a Cheshire grin. Michiru again let her laughter fill the air as she flipped her hair from side to side, attempting to shake the night's weariness from her aqua tresses.

Haruka kept the grin on her face as she turned back around and began to pick up the clothes that were so haphazardly discarded the night before. In no time at all, she had a bundle of her clothing in her arms, and once again, the knock on the door was heard.

Hastily, Haruka grabbed her shirt, gauze, and pants and threw them on carelessly with a vigor she never thought she would possess in the early hours of the morning. Leaving Michiru with a smile, she hurriedly walked out of the bedroom door as she finished pulling her shirt down her torso. Basically running down the stairs, Haruka went to the front door and opened it to be rewarded with the sight of Harbory and Cho in a clean uniform and in a much more presentable state than they had been in before.

Cho smiled widely as he was met with his commanding officer's face and nearly yelled, "Yo, Lieutenant! Good to see you're up and running this early in the morning. We figured we'd find you here, so here we are!" Cho and Harbory shared a knowing smile before turning back to their Lieutenant.

Haruka smiled at the two as she shook her head and motioned for them to come in. Harbory shook his hands in a 'no thank you' manner as he said in a much softer voice, "Oh no, that won't be necessary sir. We just came by to say that you don't need to attend the meeting this morning. It should be starting in…well…now actually." Haruka nodded at them, not revealing the fact that she had completely forgotten about the meeting anyways.

Cho then interjected and held out what he had been holding in his arms since they had arrived, "Also, we came to drop off some stuff for you. Here's a clean uniform, some fresh gauze, a clean shirt, and the bag that you left at HQ before leaving on the mission. The captain kept it with him and asked us to give it to you this morning. Besides, we know how much this thing means to you."

Haruka accepted the items gratefully and said back, "Thanks guys, is there anything on the agenda today?"

"Well, other than the fact that the transport is arriving tonight around ten or so, nothing. We just have to meet at the camp an hour early to regroup."

At the sound of this news, Haruka grew depressed quickly, "I see."

Harbory rubbed the back of his head uncomfortably, "Yeah…that's all that we've got to say. Enjoy the rest of your day, sir."

Haruka nodded absently as Cho's words repeated themselves in her mind. She was broken from her thoughts as Harbory placed a strong hand on her shoulder and squeezed, "Don't worry sir; it'll all turn out for the best, yeah?"

Haruka smiled and nodded once more, closing the door behind them as Cho and Harbory left without another word or glance. She placed her belongings down on the coffee table and heavily seated herself on the couch. She placed her elbows on her knees and ran both of her hands through her hair._ Leaving…tonight…how the hell am I supposed to tell her that? How can I break her heart like that? How can I leave her like that? God…Michiru…_

As if she could hear the blonde silently speaking her name, Michiru descended the stairs in her usual skirt and blouse, but hurried down as she saw Haruka in her state on the couch. Haruka looked up as she felt a presence nearing her. She smiled as she saw Michiru walk up to her and kneel, "Hey…Harbory and Cho came by to drop off some of my stuff…"

"Is there something bothering you Haruka?"

Haruka watched the other woman intently as she bit on her lower lip, as if the blood that would soon come out would carry the answer straight to her lips, "…no…nothing's wrong…" was her final answer. She smiled.

For the second time that morning, Haruka had lied to her about nothing being wrong, and again, Michiru did not believe her. But, knowing Haruka, she only nodded reluctantly and stood back up. She walked over to the coffee table and looked at the things that had been dropped off. Michiru picked up the old leather bag that seemed to be worn and almost completely destroyed. She set it back down after closely inspecting it and smiled warmly, "Would you like breakfast? I'm sure that you're hungry."

Haruka smiled, a real smile, and it Michiru could've sworn that she had fallen in love with the charming blonde once more. Raising herself from her piteous slump, Haruka stood and walked over to Michiru, "That sounds great."

As the two were about to enter the kitchen, another knock at the door was heard. Haruka raised her eyebrow skeptically, but nonetheless approached the door. Upon opening it, she was filled with joy and surprise as a small blur reached up and attacked her, making her realize the extent of pain she was actually in. Looks like the painkillers and morning numbness had already gone away. Flinching, she hugged the small boy back, "Morning Haruka-papa!"

Hiro jumped off of Haruka and cuddled the teddy bear in his arms before launching himself in the open arms of the aqua haired beauty and yelling, "Michiru-mama!"

Michiru smiled gently at the boy as she stroked his hair, "Well good morning Hiro."

Haruka smiled at the sight, but turned back around as a distressed Hana came into the home chiding her younger sibling, "Hiro…I told you not to just barge into other people's homes like that."

Hiro was too busy snuggling into his teddy bear and Michiru's bosom to listen to his sister. Hana sighed and clasped her hands in front of her once more. Haruka grinned at her and said warmly, "Morning Hana, it's been a while since I've seen you."

The young teen giggled, no matter how uncharacteristic it was, and said, "It's only been a day at the most Haruka-_papa._"

Haruka turned a faint, very faint, pink at the mention of Hiro's nickname for her, "H-Hey…"

Hana walked past her and walked over to Michiru, "Good morning Miss Michiru…I hope we didn't wake you."

Michiru smiled as she continued to hold the young Hiro in her capable arms, "Oh don't worry, you didn't wake us."

Hana glanced at Haruka, who was busy closing the door at the mention of 'us'. She raised her eyebrow at Michiru, who only laughed and walked into the kitchen, "We were just about to have breakfast, would you like to join us?"

Hana smiled and held up a bag that she had been holding onto, "Actually, that's the reason that I wanted to come here. I wanted to make a breakfast for you and…" she smiled sheepishly, "possibly spend the day together…as a family?"

Michiru's heart nearly fell out of its place as the word family came into the conversation. Her, Hana, Hiro…and Haruka…a family…the thought plagued her mind and Michiru was currently on cloud nine.

Her thoughts were broken as said blonde walked into the kitchen with that loveable grin on her face, "So, what's for breakfast?"

Hana smiled and turned to the yawning blonde, "Fish with mixed vegetables and rice."

Haruka raised her eyebrow at the young teen and said back, as if she were a recording device, "Fish with mixed vegetables and rice…"

Hana nodded and finished tying on her apron, "Yes, I thought that we could have a traditional Japanese breakfast this morning." Haruka nodded, but flinched and held her wounds as she tried to lean on the counter. Hana's eyebrows scrunched up and she approached the blonde, "Are you all right?" When she was close enough, Hana took a look at Haruka's body and noticed bruises, cuts, and scrapes all over the blonde's figures. She also finally noticed the large gash on the blonde's head, "What happened…?"

Haruka smiled and said, "Don't worry about it."

"I'll be right back. Let me go get your painkillers."

Haruka nodded at the shorter woman as she disappeared through the kitchen entrance. When she turned back to Hana, the girl had a whole new look to her. She seemed like she was a different person. Her face held a knowing, yet patronizing glance and her expression was that of disappointment, "You didn't tell her, did you?"

Upon hearing the question, Haruka nearly took a step back, "What are you talking about?"

"You know what I'm talking about."

"…"

"You'll have to tell her sooner or later, Haruka."

"I know that! I will, just…just not now…later…"

"Right when you go? You'll tell her as you pack up and walk out of her front door and life for the first and possibly last time?"

"…no…it won't be like that. I'll come back."

"We both know that there's only so much that you can do to stay alive. What about your men? Are you willing to sacrifice one of them for your own life? Are you capable of doing that and returning, knowing that you could've saved them?"

"I won't let them die…I won't let anyone be hurt, or die."

"If you're so unsure of yourself…how can you be sure of returning to her?"

"Because it's a promise, and I never break my promises."

"There's always a first time for everything."

"…I won't…not to my men…not to her…not to anyone." Haruka's expression was determined, and if one looked closely enough, furious. She wasn't furious at Hana for asking rude questions and implying that she would never return, but she was furious at herself for not thinking of the situations that Hana seemed to have brought into the light.

Hana still held that frown on her face, but after having an unwavering staring match with the Lieutenant, she smiled. Haruka's own expression turned into surprise at the quick change of pace, "Somehow…I trust you…with everything…even with Michiru-_mama…_" her face softened immediately at the mention of the name.

It was then that Haruka realized how much Michiru meant to the young teenager. Of course. Hana was only seventeen years old. She had a younger brother to take care of, and she had close relations to Michiru. It wasn't hard to see that the girl was in love. Not the romantic type, but the type that one feels when they're near a parental figure, or someone who they admire with the utmost respect. Haruka realized what she had found odd about the girl, the glow, the smiles, the frowns, the maturity, the clumsiness even. The girl was in love.

It was also then that Michiru walked back into the kitchen with a bottle of painkillers, and a roll of gauze. She smiled at the two who had immediately gone back to idle chit-chat and said, "Did I miss anything?"

The two only smiled and shook their heads. The next ten minutes or so was filled with silence, lest one counted the sound of vegetables chopping, bottles rattling, tape ripping, plastic tearing, and the breeze coming in through the now open kitchen door.

Through that same kitchen door, little Hiro dashed back in as Michiru finished re-patching Haruka up and giving her the painkillers she was thankful to have. The little boy went straight to the table and sat himself down before asking, "So…what's for breakfast?"

"Fish with mixed vegetables and rice." was the simultaneous response.

The three laughed while Hiro looked at them questioningly, but soon, being as naïve as he was, he joined them in their laughter.

It wasn't long until the four of them found themselves sitting at the table, eating breakfast, talking, laughing, and enjoying the company of their self-proclaimed family.

When breakfast was done and over with, all four of them made a beeline from the sink to the cupboard, and they each helped with drying the dishes, continuing their earlier conversations and jokes as they did so.

After finishing with the dishes, the quartet retreated to the living room where they sat and relaxed with each other's presence nearby. But, it wasn't long until Hiro hopped off of the shared couch and ran to the front door, his teddy bear in tow.

He turned suddenly and yelled at the three watching him with amusement from the middle of the room, "Come on, big sister, mama, and papa!" It seemed that Hiro had grown far too lazy to even mention the couple's names. Hana giggled like a schoolgirl, so out of character, while Michiru and Haruka smiled softly at the child's names for them.

As he kept pestering them towards the door, the three all let out a sigh as they lifted themselves off of the couch and headed towards the door. Hiro opened the door and ran outside, giggling and laughing as a happy and healthy child would.

Michiru took this time to glance at Hana, who was watching her brother run around outside with such a distant, yet gentle look in her eyes, "Hana…I've been meaning to ask you, how has _it_ been?"

Hana, without turning to face the woman she respected the most, said, "Better." was all she said before putting her shoes on and joining her little brother outside.

Michiru sighed and she too slipped on her shoes. Haruka, who had finished, placed a hand on her lover's shoulder, "His heart?"

Michiru nodded, but shook her head slightly and smiled, "At least it's doing better."

Haruka returned the smile and the two walked outside together, their fingers laced together.

Hana smiled at the couple when they finally reached the two siblings, and she had finally caught Hiro's hand, leaving the boy at a slight disadvantage to her height and strength. He could no longer pull away and go off and wander.

Looking around, Haruka noticed that soldiers were everywhere. There were some who were merely walking down the street, enjoying their last day off, and others were hurriedly rushing to the town square where Langley awaited them with his clipboard. That Langley was always prepared. He might've not been the strongest fighter, but he damn sure was the most cunning out of all of them. He would wait for them there, and he would yell a string of curses at them for being late. Even though he wasn't a big guy, people were still afraid of him. He had that glint in his eye. The one that said, 'don't mess with me if you know what's good for you'. He was that kind of guy.

Haruka's thoughts were broken as Michiru pulled onwards with Hana and Hiro walking next to them. The four walked in silence, no real destination in mind, but at the same time, they didn't really care. Even Hiro was patient. He was quiet, no fussing, unnecessary shuffling, or even talking for that matter. Haruka even checked on the little guy a few times to make sure he was ok. But every single time she saw that smile, she wanted to see it again. After a few more checks, she regularly turned just to catch a glimpse of his smile.

They walked on aimlessly for at least an hour until Hiro began yawning and rubbing his eyes. Hana stopped and looked at the little boy, "Are you sleepy?"

Hiro nodded cutely as his free hand kept rubbing his tired eye. Haruka released her hold on Michiru's hands and knelt down to the little one's eye level, "Hey, you know what I'd like to do?"

"Hnn?" was the half-awake response.

"I'd like you to meet someone."

Hana and Michiru raised their eyebrows at Haruka. She smiled at them.

"How about it Hiro? The walk's not too far and I promise you'll like him."

The young boy stared up at Haruka for a little while before reaching his arms up, teddy bear still clutched tightly. Haruka immediately, but gently took the boy into her arms and situated his bottom on her left arm, seeing as how her right was still injured. After being lifted into her arms, Hiro immediately snuggled into her shoulder, a smile forming on his lips. She could feel him nod his consent soon after, and then a pair of small arms were wrapped around her shoulder.

With her free hand, Haruka once again took Michiru's hand, and the four continued on their way, this time the quiet was gone, and small conversation along with laughter was put in its place.

As Haruka promised, it didn't take long for them to arrive at their destination. They were at the park, it seemed like the park always seemed to chase her around, and then drag her back there every chance it could. Haruka shook the thought and continued in, ignoring the voices asking her 'what are we doing here?'

The blonde only smirked and continued in, the pond slowly coming into view. She had no idea how many times that exact same view of the pond had come into her vision, but she wouldn't mind having it come into view more often. They neared a bench and once they got there, the figure of a lone man sitting on it while facing the pond was visible. If possible, Haruka's smile grew even wider, and she walked up to the man while Hana and Michiru had their doubts.

She once more let go of Michiru's hand, and used it to support Hiro's weight before saying, "It's a little early to be sitting all alone in the park, don't you think?"

The shoulders of the man sitting on the bench began to move up and down slowly, a deep rumble of a laugh following them.

"Mind if we join you?"

"Go right ahead." With that consent, the four moved to the other side of the bench. Haruka situated herself next to the man, while Hana and Michiru made themselves comfortable on the warm grass.

Michiru and Hana glanced at the man that they had so randomly approached and found that he wasn't even looking at them, he was only staring blankly into the pond, though a smile danced on his lips.

Haruka finally set Hiro down with Hana, leaving the sleeping boy in his sister's grasps, "That's a shame…I was hoping that you'd get to meet him."

"He's cute." was the brusque response.

"Isn't he?"

"…"

"How was your little exploration adventure?"

"…resourceful."

"Good…"

"How'd you find me?"

"I know you. I saw that look in your eyes yesterday when we came here, Captain."

The man sighed and smiled. He turned to face Haruka and said, "Sometimes…you scare me…" Haruka laughed.

"Sometimes, I scare myself." The two continued on in idle chit-chat as Michiru watched them closely. She noticed how Haruka's expression changed. With her, the expression was still joyful and true, but there was that hint of restraint, fear, and sorrow. With this captain, she was free. She was happy, calm, and no hint of negative emotions showed on her face. This was a side of Haruka that she wanted to see more. As she watched her mouth move, she could tell that all she was saying was the truth, and nothing but the truth.

Her face etched itself into a frown as she found herself being something she never thought she would be, jealous. She wanted to be the middle aged captain with the beard and strong features, not the beautiful, elegant, and enchanting Michiru, who couldn't even get the truth from the person she now called her lover, while the captain got nothing but it, and endless amounts of it as well.

She watched as they laughed, talked, laughed some more, and then shared a smile. It was a long while when Haruka suddenly turned her attention on Michiru, who was slightly embarrassed that she was caught staring, and immediately turned away. Haruka smiled and walked over to the sitting woman, offering her a hand. Looking into the green eyes she had grown to love more than her life, she saw something she had never seen. It was neither that carefree liberal emotion, nor the pained and repressed joy, but it was love. It was real and unconditional love. She had seen a hint of this morning, but too much depression and confusion was layered over it. No longer was that distressed expression on Haruka's face.

She accepted Haruka's hand, her heart beating a million miles per hour, even though they had already confessed their love for each other, she felt that 'new love' feeling washing over her, as if it was the first time all over again. Her limbs were numb, and her eyes were unmoving as they locked onto the charming Lieutenant's own. She only felt herself being lifted off of the ground by a hand so soft, she nearly fainted in bliss.

To complete her Heaven on Earth, she heard the voice, the voice of the person who had talked to her, cared for her, and loved her for less than a week, and damn, it made her feel so helpless, weak, and so in love. She couldn't respond. She couldn't move. The only thing she could do was stare and think. Haruka's eyes smiled at her, her lips smiled at her, her whole being smiled at her, and Michiru couldn't help but smile herself.

Haruka, who was puzzled by the sudden change in expression, from guilty, to happiness, held the woman's face in a warm palm and asked softly, "Are you all right?"

"Hnn…y-yea…" and just like that, the trance was broken.

Haruka once again smiled at her and turned her so that she could properly face the man who was on his feet as well. He smiled at her, a genuine smile, and held out his hand, "It's nice to see you again, Doctor Kaioh."

Michiru, who was very reluctant to let go of Haruka's hand, shook the captain's and put on a smile, "The same goes for me."

The captain shifted his attention to the two on the ground, "Well if it isn't the two who helped me! How have you two been?"

Hana, Hiro still in her arms, stood, "We've been fine. Thank you."

"Well, it seems like we already know each other eh?" were the sheepish words that escaped Haruka's lips.

"It would seem so."

"Well…in any case, it was nice seeing you all again." The captain began to trot off.

"Wait, you're leaving already?"

"Duty calls!" was what he yelled back as he waved.

As he was disappearing into the morning light, Hiro rubbed his eyes and said groggily, "Was that Matt-grandpa...?"

The three laughed at the mention of grandpa, and the little boy only rubbed his eyes and yawned loudly.

They ended up spending the rest of the morning, and even some of the afternoon at the park, just passing by the time. They sat and talked quietly as Hiro slept, and when he awoke, they ran and played. Into their little game, Hana and Michiru disappeared to fetch lunch, leaving Haruka alone with Hiro.

The little boy sat in her lap as she watched the ducks repeatedly dunk their heads in the water, only to shake the droplets out of their feathers right when they came back up. Hiro held onto his teddy bear tightly while his other hand reached up to touch his now short hair, "Why did big sister have to cut my hair off?" was what he grumbled. It was true, only yesterday did she cut his hair short.

"It was growing far too long." was her response.

"I liked it like that…"

"Don't tell her…but I'm telling you it's ok to let it grow out when you get older k?"

Hiro nodded vigorously, pleased with the answer he received from his self-proclaimed papa, "Hmm…when are you leaving?"

Haruka peered at him closely, "Who told you that?"

"The nice men that left earlier this morning…they said that…that you all were going away." He continued to fiddle with his bear.

"They did, did they…?"

"Mm-hmm…"

"What else did they say?"

"They said to take care…and to grow up to be a good boy!" He smiled.

Haruka ruffled his hair and laughed, "Of course. You remember what I told you now right?"

"Yep…don't make girls sad, and listen to big sister."

"that a' boy." Again, his hair was ruffled by her hands.

"So when are you leaving?"

"…tonight…but don't tell Michiru…k? It'll be our little secret."

"Ok…but when are you coming back?"

"…I…I don't know…"

"Oh…ok…" Hiro watched as a few soldiers who had just returned from their post walk by the lamps, smoking, laughing, and talking about matters that seemed to have caught his ears.

Haruka was too busy in her thoughts and was pulled out of them when Hiro asked a question she was not ready to answer.

"What's an orgy?"

"…where'd you hear that?" He pointed to the men who were disappearing down the path. _Damn it; watch what you say when there are kids around assholes! _Haruka sighed and shook her head.

"So? What does it mean?"

Haruka didn't want to lie. She had never lied before, at least to a child, and she wouldn't start now. As she was figuring out an answer, Michiru and Hana came back, bags in their hands.

"We couldn't find much, but we did get these sandwiches and pop from the grocery store." said Hana. The two sat down and tucked their knees under them as they made themselves comfortable.

Michiru smiled as she watched Haruka and Hiro shift their attention to them, "So, what did we miss while we were away?"

As Haruka was about to answer, Hiro answered for her, "Papa was about to tell me what an orgy was."

"…"

"Hiro…where did you hear that word?"

"From those two men who were making it all smoky with the white stuff in their hands."

"Well Hiro…we'll explain…when you're older…" was Hana's answer. Internally, she was panicking.

Michiru glared at Haruka, though it wasn't really her fault. Laughing nervously, Haruka lifted Hiro from her lap and said, "So, who's ready to eat?"

With no need for further encouragement, their small and self-made family began to eat. Like breakfast, words were exchanged, laughter was shared, and love was spread. To anyone passing by, they looked like your ordinary happy family ignoring the gore and unpleasantness that was the world. They were so free, happy, and so together in a time where everyone living in these parts would be everything but.

Lunch was over quickly, and soon, it was already late into the afternoon. Time really did fly by when one was having fun. Haruka, talking about flies, suddenly got up and said quickly, "I'm gonna go to the bathroom, does anyone need to go?"

They all shook their head. Michiru and Hana had already gone on their way to the store, and Hiro apparently just had an extremely strong bladder for a young one. Haruka waved and dashed off to find the public restrooms.

Hiro was once again tired, and he made himself comfortable in Michiru's lap. She stroked his hair as he cuddled into his bear and began to snuggle closer to Michiru. She whispered softly to him as Hana was graciously disposing of the trash they had accumulated, "So Hiro…did you have fun today?"

The boy nodded sleepily and began sucking on his thumb before saying, "Yeah…I had fun…" she smiled, but found that there was more to his dialogue, "I'm glad I had so much fun with…papa…" a yawn, "before he has to leave tonight…" a few laps of his lips.

Michiru froze, "Wh-what was that?" was her calm, yet confused answer.

"Yep…Haruka-papa is leaving tonight with all those other nice men…"a small snuggle, "but shh…I'm supposed to keep it a secret from you…" with that, he fell asleep instantly.

Michiru kept running her hands through his hair, but her hurt, confused, and angry expression was plastered to her face. When Haruka and Hana returned, both full of smiles, she stood with them and Haruka asked, "So is everyone ready to go back?"

Hana nodded, while Michiru absently did the same. She kept Hiro in her arms to keep Haruka from holding her hand, because she was angry at her, and she knew that if she held the blonde's hand…the anger would go away, because she just loved her too much. But she knew that the pain would still be there, the pain of not being told something so important, the pain of having Haruka lie in her face, and the pain of knowing that Haruka could not trust her. Thoughts raced through her mind as the reasons of Haruka's mistrust were listed onto an imaginary piece of paper.

Too lost in her thoughts, she did not notice Haruka and Hana shoot her distressed glances, and before she knew it, they had arrived back at her home. Hana unlocked the door and took Hiro from Michiru's arms, "I'll tuck him in upstairs." With no further comments, the young girl disappeared up the stairs and soon, the soft closing of a door was heard.

Haruka turned her head to Michiru, who had only been standing there, still lost in her thoughts. The blonde watched the smaller woman carefully until unexpectedly, those blue eyes she loved so much met hers, and she was surprised to find that they were glistening with water. As she reached a hand out for her, she found that the girl shrugged away from it while her eyes showed clear hurt, "Michi…"

"Stop…Haruka…" she took a deep breath, "We need to talk…" as the clock struck three on their second day as official lovers, they had just gotten into their first altercation, and Haruka could feel in her gut what it was going to be about.

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**Ok, I seriously think that this was the longest chapter so far, xD, but the ending was kinda rushed…I think. I'm way too sleepy right now…and it's only 8:30! I'm sorry I didn't revise it, I wanted to get this out to you guys as soon as possible, and let me tell you a secret, sometimes, I don't even know what I'm writing…o.o…so if information doesn't match up…I'm sorry. Really I am! Bah, I'm rambling…here are my notes…OH and does anyone know how to directly reply to reviews, I know how to pm, but not how to send one concerning a review, the one with the story link and all…thanks…cuz I don't think you guys want like…1/4 of the chapter to be my A/N anymore lol. OH another thing, I tried to make my paragraphs shorter...is it better this way? xD let me know yeah?**

**Haruka127 – Yeah…me too :P**

**Starscream – thanks, and I know there's a lack of action…but I'm working up to it. Besides, after the next chapter or so, I'll have to do some research xD thanks for bearing with me.**

**Krol-chan – Ah! A typo…o.o…thanks and let's just say that…in the heat of the moment…hal didn't notice…lol**

**Dreaded Demon of Night – I should thank you for your support. And ya…typo…lol, heat of the moment, he didn't notice…that's the excuse I'm using xD and Haruka's teammates are sweet, aren't they? Lol**

**Val83 – late merry Christmas and happy new years to you too. Lol, thank you so much for your compliment on the fight scene and for luck on my trip! It went well…for the most part xD **

**Petiyaka – xD LOL, your review really made me laugh. Haruka is strong isn't she? As for what she eats for breakfast…I guess I mentioned it in this chapter didn't I? You better load up on your fish, vegetables, and rice :D**

**Reusch17 – Thanks for the compliment and I'm glad I kept it up too…lol, oh merry late Christmas and late happy new years to you too lol. Thanks for the good luck for my trip!**

**Knightlight – gah! Sorry I didn't update again by Christmas! A certain parental figure made me pack…and repack…and then repack some more! Lol thanks!**

**BluexSavior – lol, thank you, and sorry you didn't get the speedy update! I was a bit flustered when I came back! xD**

**Bella – sorry!**

**Mantaray – Ah, thank you! Your kind words inflate my already big head! Lol happy late holidays and xD wrestling match??? Lol, and as for my joke I meant that since a girl has a chance of getting pregnant when she has sex, a baby would come out 'and then there would be three yeah? But since they are both women it's like…a gay joke. xD a bad one…but it is…well at least I made it a gay joke LOL xD**

**Anonymous – thank you! I'm glad also, and sorry for the long update!**

**Akira-kun – it's been a while since I've heard from you! Lol, sorry for misleading you, no, no one dies, and as of yes, Hal is still missing xD I will go out with a bang…lol what kind of bang I'm not sure of yet xD but I am sure I want you to update…Prelude! I haven't reviewed, but when I read it…it was like…1 in the morning…and I had to drink like…soda to stay awake because I wanted to finish the first chapter before completely passing out! It was so good! So GO and UPDATE NAOOOOO (my most favoritest characters from Mai-Hime btw…) LOL**

**Ok…I'm officially about to pass out now…I'm probably forgetting a lot of things right now…but at the moment…I don't care…at least I got my replies done yeah? xD so live life and love guys, 'til next time! Oh…and review for me yeah? It'll make me much more willing to write the next chapter (wink wink) (nudge nudge) lol, ok…(passes out)**


	13. Love me when I'm Gone

**DISCLAIMER: Author does NOT own Sailor Moon…if she did…she would have Haruka and Michiru do the nasty every single episode! LOL (yes, author is a perv) **

**You know something's wrong when I start speaking in third person…sorry for the delay, I've been in a lot of pain lately…my body's just breaking into a daily workout routine, and it HURTS. when I sat down to write, I was like OWWW! When I get up, it'll be the same thing xD anyways, sorry for the wait, and I hope you enjoy…or not this chapter :) OH and sorry for mistakes, and how short this chapter is…**

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**Love me when I'm Gone**

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"Haruka…we need to talk…"

The blonde who usually always had something to say was speechless. She only stared on as her arms were rejected by the one she loved.

"When…when were you going to tell me?" her voice shook.

"…"

"What…were you just going to leave? Is that it? Were you just going to disappear tonight?"

"No. I was going to tell you-"

"When?!" Never had Haruka hear Michiru raise her voice, and in sincerity, it scared her.

"Tonight…I was going to tell you."

"You wanted me to watch as you packed up…and then simply let you go?"

"Look, I've thought about it, and it was the best thing that came to me! I thought it would be better to tell you tonight, rather than worry you on our last day together! I wanted it to be a good day…I couldn't bear it if you were sad…" Haruka let her arms dangle limply at her sides.

"…I'd rather havehad your trust, and have known…rather than spend a worry free day with you that was doomed to become encased in loss anyways."

"Well I thought otherwise."

"Then you don't know me at all, do you?"

"No. I guess not." It was a whisper, "But I do know that I love you…and I wish you'd understand where I'm coming from."

She laughed. Michiru's laugh was so deep with regret, that it sent shivers up the blonde's spine, "Why do I keep doing this to myself?" she whispered it mostly to herself, "Why do I keep falling in love with _idiots _who care more about guns, blood, and war than me?"

"I don't care about that more than you. I care about you more than anything in the world! Why can't you understand that I'm doing this for you?!"

"Because I can't!" That was it. She reached her breaking point, "I can't, all right?! I can't stand being left alone again! I don't want to be alone anymore…Haruka…I don't…"

Haruka walked up to her and placed confident hands on her shoulders, "I'm doing this for you. When all of this is resolved…you won't be in constant danger anymore, and we can live our lives. Together."

Michiru buried her face in the soldier's chest and cried. It was the hardest she had ever cried, even harder than when her parents had died. She couldn't even think of stopping. The tears just came out naturally, and the sobs complimented them like a strained violin to an un-tuned piano. Each shake broke the blonde's heart, and each tear made her wince.

She didn't know how long they stood there, just standing there, and she didn't notice when her own tears began streaming out, the two creating a pool of salty liquid on the floor beneath them. It was well into the afternoon, and their time was running short.

Michiru had fallen asleep. No surprise. Haruka gently set her on the couch, the body slowly curling due to the lack of warmth. Sighing, Haruka took a seat on the loveseat and watched. Her body ached to go near the woman again and hold her once more. But she resisted, because she knew that she would never let go.

Tiredly, she ran her fingers through her messy blonde tresses, and leaned back onto the soft seat. She just wanted to make it all go away. She didn't want there to be a war, and she didn't want to be a soldier anymore. In complete honesty, all she wanted was Michiru.

But reality was reality, and there were some things that one can't just change with a nod of a head. She knew what had to be done, and she kept telling herself that she would do it.

With that mindset, she took one last glance at the sleeping woman and left to gather her belongings.

Guns, ammunition, boots, knives, helmet, jacket, radio, and all her other knickknacks were neatly spread out on the kitchen table as she set the last of her needed items on the table. She sighed. It had taken her over an hour to collect all of her assets, and she was still missing a few items.

Sighing again, she remembered that she left her leather backpack in the living room. She walked out the door and was over to the coffee table in a few mere seconds. She lingered a moment to press a few stray hands of hair away from Michiru's tear stained cheeks. A light smile crawled onto her face when she saw the peaceful beauty in front of her. After pressing a feather like kiss to the other woman's forehead, Haruka walked back into the kitchen in hope of finishing soon.

She was so busy with her task that she had forgotten that Hana and Hiro were still there. She didn't notice when a figure came into the room lightly, the footsteps uneven. Hana stood there, looking as if she were just spun around one too many times.

When Haruka heard her stumbling around the kitchen, she noticed her immediately and came to her side, "Hana, are you all right?"

Hana held her chest, over her heart, in a protective manner, "Y-Yes…I'm fine." She smiled.

Slowly, she regained her balance and her breathing began to come in steadily, "Are you sure?"

"Yes. I'm fine. Hiro just gave me a little scare…"

"His heart?"

"…yes…" Hana went to fetch a glass of water.

"Hmm…Is he all right?"

"He's fine now. He just…he was just a little too tired I guess."

"If you're sure." Haruka went back to placing her belongings in the right pockets.

"So tonight huh?"

Haruka stopped and looked at the girl who was calmly drinking her water, "Yeah."

"…From what I heard…you already told her?"

She stopped again, "…yeah…"

"Remember your promise ok?"

"I will."

"I'm going to…I'm going to go lay down with Hiro…but don't forget to say good bye when you go…ok?" Haruka could've sworn she heard the young girl's voice cracking, so she left her belongings and enveloped the girl in a hug, which was promptly returned, along with some held back sobs.

"I will."

They stood there for a few minutes as Hana cried. Holding a woman while she cried was becoming a regular thing for the blonde. She wished it hadn't.

Hana finally left her embrace and wiped her eyes. She attempted to smile, but there was so much pain in that smile that it broke the blonde's heart. With no more words, she walked out of the kitchen and up the stairs.

Haruka shook her head and sighed once more, the guilt gnawing in the pit of her stomach. Once she finished with her belongings, she took her uniform with her and went through the door. Michiru was still asleep. Quietly, she crept up the stairs and to the bathroom, where she would get her long awaited shower.

The warm water pouring over her head felt enlightening. It was as if all her worries were gone. But in reality, they weren't. But, she chose to ignore reality just for that moment, and enjoy what fantasy she chose. A smile was brought to her lips as she imagined she and her little 'family' moving back to Japan and living an ordinary life with no war. That was from then on, her goal.

Looking up at the clock hanging above the sink, she turned the dial of the shower to 'off' and reluctantly stepped out as she rubbed the top of her head with a towel. She looked into the mirror. Her eyes were red and puffy. While in the shower, she didn't realize it, but she was crying. Laughing, she wiped her eyes tiredly and finished drying herself off.

Haruka walked down the stairs quietly after dressing and gathering her belongings. She was surprised to see that Michiru was no longer sleeping on the couch. Looking worried, she stepped into the kitchen and was both relieved and fearful that her lover was calmly sitting at the table sipping tea.

She took a seat next to the woman and smiled, "Hey…"

Michiru smiled up at her, "Hi…"

The two shared a silence that neither wanted to have. They wished the other would say something, just to relieve them of the unbearable silence that they had created for themselves.

Michiru, thank god, broke the silence by saying, "You smell nice."

Haruka looked at her weirdly, and she turned a faint pink. At this, the blonde had to chuckle, "Well thanks. Soap really does wonders."

Michiru laughed as well, and the two found themselves sharing a gleeful moment. When the moment ended, the tension had lessened, but it was still there. Michiru's eyes caught sight of the same leather bag she had inspected earlier, "Haruka."

"Yes?"

"What do you keep in this bag?"

Haruka watched the tattered bag carefully, as if she were thinking, and then she smiled, "I took it with me when I left."

"You mean over six years ago?"

"Yep. Actually…I think it still has some of the stuff I left in there six years ago…" The blonde took the bag and started to rummage through its contents. She pulled something out. It looked like a photo of some kind. Haruka had a fond smile on her face, "This was the first thing I placed in this very bag when I was packing." She gingerly handed Michiru the worn out photo.

On it, there was a young couple, no older than thirty, and a small child. The black and white photo could show much, but it did show that the small family was happy. The short-haired child was waving from the mother's side, and the parents were laughing, "This is…"

"That's my parents, and that's me."

"You…you haven't changed at all." Michiru stared closely to the short haired girl who wore 'boy pants' and a plain t-shirt.

"Nope. I've been me since the day I was born."

"You were cute…"

"What, am I ugly now?'

Michiru laughed softly, "No…you're…beautiful now." She placed a hand on Haruka's cheek.

"I'm glad you think so, but I know someone whose beauty surpasses even mine."

Again, she laughed, "And who might that be?"

"Well…it's this really stubborn, but kind doctor. She's nice and all, but sometimes I feel like hugging the life out of her! She can be unreasonable, and a bit controlling at times," Haruka winked, "and she really gets on my case about the smallest things." Haruka took Michiru's hand in her own, "Yet, she's the most gorgeous woman I've ever met in my life. Inside and out. Anybody would be crazy to even think of leaving her."

The two shared a fond smile. A real smile. Michiru squeezed the larger hand in her own and said, "So…what else do you know about this doctor?"

"Not much…but I'd be more than willing to listen, if she's willing to tell me…"

"What would you want to know about her?"

"Everything…I want to hear the story."

"Well…I'm sure she would say something like, during her childhood days, she used to enjoy watching her parents treat people. They were doctors before her. She was fascinated. She loved to watch the different types of people that would walk in and out of her home, and she would often ask questions as to why they were there. Her parents would answer the question for the stranger, and oddly, she would take an understanding to what they were saying." Her eyes met Haruka's for a brief moment, "When she grew up, she never wanted to lose the feeling of knowing how someone else felt, or understanding something about someone else, and so she became a doctor to help them. Also, she wanted to hold the memories of her parents with her…"

"Michiru…" Haruka squeezed the soft hand, "What…what happened to her parents?"

Michiru gave a reassuring smile before saying, "When the girl was only ten years old…her parents died in an accident. A kind, but oldcouple down the block took her in…six years later, they died of old age, together."

Seeing that Michiru hadn't mentioned what type of accident, Haruka didn't dare ask. Instead, she walked over to the other side of the table, and enveloped the smaller woman into an embrace. Michiru stood up to be completely held by the blonde, and Haruka reacted by pulling her closer, "Then what happened to her?"

"She was sixteen…she was young…and she had done the impossible by getting into a medical school. She became a doctor. Her dream was realized…but even though her dream was finally reached, she felt an emptiness."

"…"

"She remembered how her mother used to play the violin with her when she was still alive, and so she dug it up, and began to play." Michiru laughed softly, "She sounded terrible…the noise made her cringe, but she didn't give up. She learned the violin, and by her twentieth birthday, she nearly perfected it. But she still felt this emptiness."

"Yeah? So what happened to her then?"

"A year or so later, a group of ratty soldiers came into town. One of them actually had the nerve to bump into her!" Haruka smiled.

"I'm sure the soldier had no real intention to bump into such a pretty lady." Michiru once again let her hand rest against Haruka's cheek.

"Then later on, she found that the soldier was actually looking for her. He needed a doctor, of course. But the thing was…he was not what he made himself out to be…the doctor found out 'her' secret and from then on, the emptiness was slowly being filled. The few days she spent with this soldier made her fall to the point that she didn't care where she would land, though she hoped it would be in the soldier's arms. She was in love."

"And the soldier probably felt the same thing, right? With the help of their friends, the two admit their feelings to each other…and they fall in love…am I right?"

"Yes…you're right." Michiru laughed slightly, "Meanie…you never told me that you've heard this story already. Why did you ask to hear the story if you already knew?"

"I knew the ending because I read ahead…I wanted to know the beginning."

The Lieutenant flashed that same boyish smile she always wore. Michiru immediately melted under the smile, and she felt her body drifting upwards, her lips being drawn to those of the taller woman's.

In seemingly no time, the two shared a kiss. It wasn't like one they had shared before. The meaning in the kiss was vague. There were a million emotions coursing through their kiss, and they were too numerous to pick out. They didn't know what to feel during the kiss, and yet they felt everything.

In an emotional blur, they traveled up to the young doctor's bedroom, and soft 'thump' of bodies hitting the mattress could be heard. Clothes were discarded, and hands reached for every inch of skin they could reach. Kisses were given and taken, and their bodies were shared.

During that one blur, it was as if Kaioh Michiru and Tenoh Haruka had never existed. There was only one figure on that bed, and it shone with a light brighter than the sun itself.

Just as fast as it had started, the blur began to dissipate, bringing the two back into a state close to normalcy, yet closer to divinity. Limbs were tangled within another, and sweat mingled between the two exhausted bodies, their chests heaving from the heart pumping activity they had just recently participated in.

Slowly, and languidly, a pale and soft arm reached out for the face of another, and for the umpteenth time that day, Michiru placed her hand on Haruka's cheek, in which the blonde nuzzled into, "I love you Haruka."

"I know. You know I love you too."

"I know…"

They just lay there, staring at each other with the most passion and love filled eyes that only true lovers could possess, and they loved it. They loved the gleam in the other's eyes, and they loved the small smile that graced their other half.

Time continued to tick past them as they intertwined their hands in an unbreakable bond, and they pressed their foreheads together, as if doing that would slow the world down for them, just that one time. But the world wouldn't wait. The world would never wait. And so time continued to pass, and they continued to hope, to pray, that for once, the world would give up its title of being 'unfair'.

But as usual, the world was merciless. The clock struck the hour when they knew they would have to part. There was no noise, no signal, but they could feel it. They could feel the time coming, and slowly, but surely, tears gleamed at the edges of usually sharp blue orbs. A calloused hand came up and slowly rubbed the tears away as they fell slowly.

Haruka got up and slowly went to gather her clothes. She took her time in dressing, as Michiru merely sat in her spot in bed, not even bothering to pull the sheets up to cover herself. It drove the blonde crazy to have to hear the choked sounds of her lover quietly crying behind her, but she ignored it. She had to. Because she knew if she went back then, she would never leave. After finishing with dressing, Haruka looked out the window. Darkness surrounded the area outside. Night came too quickly.

Slowly, Haruka walked back to the bed. She watched for a moment, she watched as the love of her life cried for her. She couldn't bear it, but at the same time, she had to. She bent over slightly and lifted the chin of her lover in her fingers, and again, green met blue. Haruka leaned in, just close enough to be able to touch the other's lips without really kissing them, and against those soft, but now salty lips, Haruka said lightly, "Will you still love me…even when I'm gone?"

The soft and strained reply against her lips was, "Always…" and they shared, what they hoped it wasn't, their last kiss.

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**That's the end of that…ah man, my BACK freakin' hurts! Do you know how much pain I went through to write this? My quads are killing me xD oh the harshness of track…anyways, that's no excuse, soooo here are my notes!**

**Mantaray – lol, I think they got their moment, and as for Hal…that's a surprise ;)**

**Haruka's Knight – everyone was confused with that statement cuz it was a bad joke xD but I'd be honored if you put this story in a C2 once it's done!**

**Starscream – Yeah, you were correct :) but I guess she found out anywho…xD**

**Akira-kun – Ah I don't want to think! Thinking makes my head hurt! . :D**

**BluexSavior – (keeps arms from flailing) YES the 'We need to talk' line! Buahahah!**

**Anonymous – Thanks! I enjoyed writing it! ;)**

**Monica1990m - yeah, I liked it too! xD that's why I wrote it! Lol and thanks for teling me how to reply to a review! But I figured that you guys don't want a mailbox full of my cruddy replies! So I guess I'll just leave them here lol**

**Dreaded Demon of Night – Aw thanks! My trip was a lot of fun. I love the little family too! I had to 'aww' as I wrote it xD**

**Knightlight – thanks, and I hope Haruka's explanation was ok, xD lol**

**Petiyaka – LOL xD No Michiru did not kick Haruka's ass…but she did make her feel guilty! AH the power of GUILT EVILLLL xD aw man…now I want rice and veggies :(**

**Asakure/krol-chan – LOL I don't know what you like to go by…BUT nonetheless thanks for the happiness! Hiro does have a potty mouth doesn't he? xD**

**Reusch17 – aww thanks! OH and I LOOVEED 'Hotaru's Birthday'! It made me go "AWWWWW" xD but my stupid computer wouldn't let me review (grumble) and thanks for the review reply help! YAY!**

**Haruka127 – I agree, Haruka SUCKS at saying good bye, and I think they spent their time together wisely, don't you? Lol**

**Well that's about it guys, thanks for the reviews and support and again, so sorry for the late update, I've been busy. Actually, I've been busy writing up the plot to a new fic I'm thinking of starting after this one's over. I'll give you a preview, and by that, I mean the title, lol, I think it'll be called 'Libertango' :D I'll give anyone who knows where that name comes from a cookie:) 'Til next time guys and gals! **


	14. Apart

* * *

Apart

**Disclaimer: I. Own. Nothing. Thanks for reminding me.**

**A/N: oops…**

**p.s. VERY-unedited/rushed the story flies by...sorry...**

**Apart**

The weary team didn't even realize that they had arrived at the base. The walked on like zombies on a march, not even bothering to avoid those who were busily running around, attempting to get something done before the large reception was due to begin later that night.

As the main commanding officer stopped and began to drone on and on about bunking, assignments, the duration of their stay, and meetings they were expected to attend, Everything went in through one ear, and out the other. Nobody was in the right sense of mind to be listening to what an old army coot had to say after three long days on car, boat, and then plane. Their location was not disclosed to them, and honestly, no one really cared.

Soon, Haruka's tired little army made their way into their assigned bunks and each unceremoniously dropped onto their beds. All except for Haruka of course, who chose to set her things down slowly, and take a weary seat on the dusty bed she had been given for her stay. The metal creaked as her weight slowly descended upon it.

The only sound that could be heard was the jingling of Haruka's dog tags as she continuously ran both of her hands through her hair. Her mind still guilt stricken about the decision she had made. The greasy and sweaty hair easily molded in whichever direction she weaved it, up, down, left, right, the possibilities were numerous, and seemingly endless.

Tired of thinking, she sighed quietly and left the small portable building and went outside. She was tired. That much she knew. But she also knew that sleep wouldn't come to her. It didn't come to her on the way there, and it most likely wouldn't come to her now. The cool morning breeze greeted her as she continued forward, her steps leaving heavy footprints on the gravel beneath her.

She didn't notice the people walking around her. She didn't notice the guy who she had run into, and was now currently shouting some rather crude words at her, and she didn't notice the woman who was currently making a rude gesture with her one hand, while the other picked up the scattered papers which littered the ground.

That's why she was so startled when she felt the palm of a warm hand on her shoulder. It was a familiar hand. She immediately turned around, only to be met with the melancholy face of her dear captain. Without a word, he walked past her.

Haruka stared at his back for a long while before catching his hint and following him. They continued to walk aimlessly through the base, the hangars, ammunition storage, people, guns, and sweaty recruits invisible to them.

Without stopping or turning back, the captain spoke, "Rather chilly this morning isn't it?"

"Yeah…"

"Hopefully it won't be so bad tonight. Standing outside for a meeting when it's cold will make it that much more unpleasant, don't you agree?"

"Yeah."

"Hmm. How are you feeling?"

"I don't know…how's a heartbroken, car-sick, sea-sick, and jet lagged soldier of America supposed to feel?"

"Depressed." The answer was quick and said in a tone of amusement.

"Well I'm on the right track."

"That's healthy."

"I'm sure it is."

"Not the depression, but the fact that you're still feeling. It's not good to hide emotions you know."

"I suppose not."

The gravel crunched under their boots, and Haruka felt small bumps on her bare arms as the wind blew by, the jingle of her dog tags once again heard. The captain stopped abruptly and turned to face the young soldier. Haruka stopped as well, watching the man closely.

The man watched her equally, as if scrutinizing her. He rubbed his badly shaved goatee in contemplation and turned around once more, beginning his walk again as he did so. Haruka only sighed and continued to follow the odd man known as her captain.

"How are the men holding out?"

"Their tired, but their fine."

"Did you know…if a troop is close enough…their feelings of their leader may pass on to them, no matter where they are, or how long its been since they've seen each other."

"…"

"Like a true team, they share the pain, love, happiness, regret, guilt, or whatever emotion their leader is feeling. Through this, they can truly work together as a team."

The blonde scoffed, "Sounds like something Confucius would have said to me. _If soldier spend enough time with soldier, then there is not two soldier, but one." _Haruka laughed bitterly at her poor joke.

Instead of laughing, the captain kept on walking, and with a calm tone said, "Exactly."

"Where are you taking me anyways. At this rate, I'll never make it back to the bunk."

"Maybe you don't have to." Was the mysterious reply.

Soon enough, a striped helicopter came into view, and a few men were already present, and ready to fly. Haruka stared at her captain as he walked up to one of the men and spoke with him. They exchanged a few words, and the captain pointed in her direction once or twice. The man speaking to him nodded, a knowing smile on his face.

The captain left the scene after that, leaving a suspicious Haruka, and a still smiling attendant in his wake. After a while, the man walked up to Haruka, his slow smile still in place. He extended a hand toward her and spoke, his shrill voice matching his lanky body, "Carl Griffin. Nice to meet you."

Hesitantly, Haruka took his hand, "Haruka Tenoh. May I ask…wh-…what was the Captain doing talking to you, and why was he pointing to me?"

"Straight to the point I see." The man sighed and re-adjusted his mechanic's cap, "Well, It's simple. I'm the guy who's gonna make you make the biggest decision you will ever have to make…again. Think of it as a second chance. A confirmation."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about a first class ticket straight back to your lovely lady, that's what."

The dog tags jingled.

--

Michiru sighed as she finished with the dishes. Since Haruka left, Hana and Hiro had stayed with her, after much insistence on her part. She dried her hands and made her way to the living room, where Hiro was currently playing with his stuffed animal.

She smiled at the young man and walked over to him, "Hey Hiro, how are you doing?"

"Mmm…sometimes my chest goes Doom Doom! really really hard…but other than that, Akurah and I are fine." He flashed her a grin.

She raised an eyebrow and said, curiosity lingering in her voice, "Akurah?"

"Yep." He hugged the stuffed dinosaur closer to him, giggling happily as he did so.

Michiru smiled at him once more and sat next to him, "Ah, I see, Akurah is the name of your Dinosaur isn't it?"

"Yeah."

"Where'd you come up with that name?"

"Well…since we can't Have Haruka-papa," Michiru visibly winced at hearing the name, "I figured we could have Akurah…"

Michiru failed to see the logic in the boy's words, but all thoughts of oddness disappeared as the thought formed, and a smiled crawled its way onto her lips, "Akurah…Haruka…" She giggled softly at how clever the boy was and began to tickle him.

The two were laughing and giggling on the couch as Hana walked in, a bag of groceries in her hands, "Well I see you two had fun without me." She smiled genuinely.

Michiru raised herself from the couch and helped Hana with the bags. The two women laughed and went into the kitchen. Once they were finished with putting things away, Hana stared worried at Michiru's back as she cut up vegetables for the day's lunch. Noticing that a pair of eyes was watching her, Michiru spoke, her eyes never leaving the task before her, "What is it Hana?"

"Michiru…san…it's not good…"

"What's not good?"

"What you are doing?"

Michiru looked up curiously, "Oh? Am I cutting these wrong? I didn't know there was a specific technique to amateurishly cutting up vegetables for lunch." Michiru smile, though Hana could tell easily that it was fake.

"I miss her too."

The smile immediately dropped as that was said, and Michiru continued cutting in silence.

"You can't keep doing this to yourself." The young girl's voice was but a whisper.

The sound of the knife on the cutting board steadily grew louder, as if the woman was trying to block out her thoughts with the sound of the knife on wood.

"You have to be strong. You can't just keep doing this."

The cutting kept growing louder, until it stopped altogether, and Michiru was sucking on her now bleeding finger. Hana sighed and walked over to the older woman, a wet towel in her hands. The aqua haired woman's lips trembled as Hana treated the 'wound', and Hana just looked at her with melancholy eyes.

Michiru met her gaze, and the two had a staring match, with Michiru slowly, but surely losing. Her vision was beginning to blur with the growth of tears in her eyes, and the ability to hold back her sobs was soon lost as well.

In seemingly one single rush, Michiru broke down, cried, and screamed into Hana's shoulder. She gripped the cloth tightly and wept. She wept as if someone had just torn her heart out and stomped on it. Hey, might as well.

Hana merely held her and rubbed her back as she whispered softly, "Good. Be strong. Cry."

Little Hiro knew all too well what was going on in the other room and was torn between rushing in there and hugging his Michiru-mama and older sister, rather than staying and playing with Akurah and pretending that nothing was happening.

As it turns out, Haruka did rub off on the boy, and his stubborn side was definitely showing. His mind told him to stay and keep out of it, but his compassionate little, and sick heart couldn't take the sobs that were coming out of someone he loved.

He understood the concept of sadness and crying. After all, it was his beloved Haruka-papa who had told him never to make girls cry. With his decision made, he stood up and timidly walked into the kitchen.

He took a few slow steps in as he noticed that the two women were still busy, and soon enough, Michiru caught sight of him. She smiled slowly at him and wiped at her eyes. Wiping her hands on her apron, Michiru knelt down and opened her arms out to the boy who immediately dashed at her.

She picked him up and rubbed his back slowly, "Michiru-mama…"

"Yes?"

"Don't cry. Haruka-papa will be mad at me…"

"Oh? And why is that?" She could feel fresh tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Haruka-papa told me to never make a girl cry…"

"But you didn't make me cry Hiro…you've been perfect…"

"Yeah…but still…" the boy buried himself into Michiru's soft hair and sighed.

Hana smiled at the two and continued with preparing lunch. Michiru set the boy down on the free counter and asked him if he would like to help. Eagerly, he placed Akurah down carefully on the empty space behind him and went straight to his task of setting the table. With a small hop, he was off.

Hana smiled and spoke slowly, "Don't you feel better now?"

Michiru sniffled a little, a forced smile upon her face, "A little…but…after lunch…I'd like to go lay down. Please tell my appointments for today that I won't be able to see them. I don't think anyone has an emergency, just checkups today."

"I'll do that."

Hiro was soon finished with setting the table, and he bounded back to his older sister and self-proclaimed mama beaming, "So…when's the food gonna be ready?"

The two women laughed, "Soon Hiro…Soon."

Michiru looked down at the adorable little boy with curious green eyes. Michiru was startled for a second. She never realized how much the little boy reminded her of Haruka. His now short golden hair, the curious, but determined green eyes, and even the oh so adorable grin he wore. But, instead of making her legs turn into jelly, or her stomach do back flips, it made her want to giggle like a school girl.

_God…those two will be the death of me one day…_

**So…back to that oops I gave you guys at the beginning. See…funny story…(gulp) ok…not so funny…so I won't tell, xD you'd all hate me if I told you…so I won't. It just explains how incredibly lazy I am, and how much of a procrastinator with a short attention span I am. Anyways, This is short, I realize that, but I got my point across. And what's this? Haruka's given a choice? Again?! Oh my, what will she do? Will I take the lazy road down, or will I actually do my work? Find out next time on this story that probably will be left in the dust for a reeaaally long time. xD just kidding, I'll try to be better, but with track and all, it's hard. Blah blah blah, GARGH I need to shut up, so , Author's Notes! Here I go!**

**P.S. ALL OF YOU NEED TO THANK KNIGHTLIGHT. NOW. Without the late review and reminder, this chapter might not have been out…ever…LOL of course, I have all of you to thank as well, so here goes the thanking and useless blathering!**

**Starscream – Yeah…(cough cough) can't really say much…can I? I know you'll hate me for how unrealistic this is…but it's okay…I can live with the hate…I'm sorry (runs away)**

**Dreaded Demon of Night – Somehow…I doubt any sane person would shoot their foot…but I fully agree anyways xD**

**Knightlight - EY! Thanks! You really reminded me that I need to get on my arse and start writing! Your two reviews really knocked some H/M into my brain xD I am forever grateful. :) **

**Vanessa Riverton – Thanks, and to answer your question…and probably everybody else who doesn't voice it, I have no idea how many chapters are left! Woot! I'm just gonna keep writing until I get a straight ending in my head…lol get it? Straight ending…lol…ok…I'm gonna shut up now. OH and you have to go update now mkay? Cuz I HAVE GOT to know what happens next in 'Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps'…perhaps…now? Lol good luck! And update when you feel like it, xD**

**Haruka127 – YES, it is a dance…yes it is a tango…but it is also a song…and actually, I might not write that one because now that I think about it, too much drama and angst already! I want to write a funny fic next! Down with Drama!**

**Monica1990m – Everyone seems to want me to hurt Haruka so she can't leave…but it's too late, but I've done something else! And there's more to it…more surprises next chapter…shhhhh…xD**

**Petiyaka – Yes…who knows? I do! :D**

**Reusch17 – I'm sorry last chapter made you sad…this one probably didn't help any…but I was just trying to get my point across! They miss each other! :( and they aren't doing so well D: it makes me sad…but I love your 'Life' Series :) when I read the first two, and then the first couple chapters of three, I felt really…fuzzy xD so thanks for that **

**Asakure/Krol-chan – yes…war sux…**

**Nomi - xD I'm sorry, I seem to have made people terribly depressed with last chapter eh? xD I'm sorry and with all those questions…they will be answered in time ;) **

**BluexSavior – Hmm…It could've been from the song "Love me when I'm gone" by…err…something or other band xD, Idk, I remember the song, but not the band lol**

**Haruka's Knight - As much as it pained me, that was the whole point :( I had to make Haruka abandon Michiru…I'm so bad…but maybe not so bad after all…LOL xD thanks for the support**

**Harucino – lol, thanks! Short and sweet :) **

**Well that's it guys and gals. I tried getting this out before spring break was over and before I take a trip down to vegas! Woot! :) Enjoy what you can, and hate what you will, I'm happy you even read…but when you review…that's where I die and go to heaven.**

**Later Days! xD**

p.s. WHY DOES THE HORIZONAL RULER NOT WORK N/EMORES??


	15. Choices

Choices

**I genuinely don't have anything to say…other than**

**This chapter brought to you by "Call of Duty 2" An excellent game about World War II oh, and**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Salor Moon**

* * *

**Choices**

* * *

_Dear Michiru,_

"Tonight, we will be discussing the biggest and most important mission of this war."

_I don't know where to start._

"The end result of this next mission…might…no…_will_ determine the outcome of this prolonged war. You've all worked hard up to this point, but now it is time to put all your work into use."

_I guess…I'll start by saying that I miss you…I really do. I can't be at peace here, not without you._

"We, the commanders of the Allied Forces, have decided to end this all with one big attack at their military. We will hit them hard, and we will hit them soon. We no longer feel the need to postpone the end of this war any longer."

_But then again…I can't be with you…and be at peace. I guess what I'm trying to say is, I can't really make a choice, and yet I've made the same one twice now._

"We will attack them with a full frontal assault. We will embark upon the Great Crusade, and we will win. We will invade Normandy, France, and wipe out any and all enemies in the vicinity. Those who are not already in an assigned company will be assigned tonight."

_I can't just leave. I can't just leave behind everything I've been working for. My life. My dream…not even for my love…I owe too much to the men here. To my soldiers, and to my captain._

"We will begin the invasion by a full on aerial and naval attack. I swear it will be the largest naval attack those bastards and hell, the world will have seen yet! Our allies will supply us will both aerial and amphibious support. We will not lose."

_But honestly…I can't bear thinking of living without you. That's why. That's why I'm fighting. Please understand. I'm doing this for you, Hana, Hiro…Michiru…I'm doing this for us. Once this is all over with…we can be together with no interruptions. I can love you with no distractions._

"I have no doubt in my mind that you will complete this mission flawlessly, and proudly. Your company commanders have been given direct orders as to what you will be doing. Each battalion has been set with rations, ammunition, and a set of specific orders. Everything you will need to protect your country will be provided for you. It is up to you to utilize them in the best way you see fit."

_I meant to keep this letter as short as possible. I just wanted to let you know the reason for my choices. Why I turned down the chance I had of staying with you. _

Dwight D. Eisenhower, Supreme commander of the Allied Forces stood straight, his arm coming up into a solid salute. His mouth pursed, and his nose flared, "At this point…all I can do is wish you all good luck. And to hope that after all this is over…I can shake your hand and commend you for a job well done." He eyed the crowd…no…mass of soldiers before him.

_Listen to me go on and on…I'm stalling…I can't seem to let go. You see Michiru, the real purpose of this letter is to make sure that you know…in the case that I don't return…that I love you, and hell will freeze over before I stop loving you. I want you to wait for me…yet at the same time I don't. I'm confusing you, aren't I? In any case…I've gotten my point through. In a few days, we leave for the Beaches of Normandy. I can only hope that I will be able to return to you soon._

"I'm proud of each and every one of you. And with this, I am assured of our victory…FOR AMERICA!" The loud roar of both men and women filled the air along with claps and hoots of pride for their country.

_You are my everything,_

_Haruka_

--

Haruka and her men stood in a tight circle in the middle of their small shack. Bags were packed and set on the dust covered beds. With their arms slung around each other, they bowed their heads together, a silent gesture confirming their brotherhood…and love.

When they all looked up, the tears of separation were lingering. Haruka, her eyes as hardened and cold as her heart scanned her men. Whittaker shared her look and they nodded in response, "So…where are you headed?"

Whittaker took to the ceiling, "101st airborne, they need a good machine-gunner." He turned back to face her, "You?"

"2nd Ranger battalion, D company under Rudder…I'm their resident sharp-shooter." She made a movement as if she were shooting a sniper rifle.

Langley sighed, "Looks like we're all going our separate ways…aren't we?"

"Where're you headed Lang?"

"I stay at the base to monitor operations." He shrugged, "I got lucky…but I wish I hadn't."

"What the hell are you talking about Langley? You wouldn't last two seconds out there. We all know that. Besides, we all have our different skills, right? Yours just happens to be more in computers." Harbory put a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder.

"What about you James? Where you headed?"

"29th Infantry. A good rifleman's always a good addition to the team." He smiled confidently.

"Since when was missing a point blank shot considered as good?" Cho nudged his long time buddy jokingly.

"Laugh it up mortar boy. I bet none of your little firecrackers have even hit someone."

"Then we're even."

"Yeah yeah enough with the lip. Where are they shipping you off to?"

"1st Infantry. As you said, a good rifleman's always a good addition to the team."

"Kayman." Haruka addressed her soldier, "Where're you goin'?"

"I've been assigned with the 82nd airborne as their resident medic and rifleman."

"Oh yeah? I thought you got airsick easily."

Riley, the ever so quiet one, shuddered as the conversation among his comrades continued. He clenched his fists together and managed to speak through clenched teeth, "Why does it have to be like this?"

All conversation stopped, and everyone turned to look at him. He looked them each in the eye, "It's bad enough we have to go through with this, but when we're separated, it just makes it that much worse."

"It's how it is Riley." Whittaker said blankly.

"The way it is sucks."

"That may be so, but then again, this whole war sucks." Haruka comfortingly laid a hand on his shoulder.

"I've been sent to the 2nd ranger battalion, Company E as an average Joe rifleman…there's a 99.9 chance that I'll just be another casualty, and I won't be able to see one of your faces before I die."

Haruka sympathized with him, "That's undecided. Don't talk like that. After this is all over, we'll all go get smashed at some random bar, and we won't have to worry about any Jerries putting a bullet into our asses." They all laughed.

"Yeah. She's right. We'll get through this. Together."

They reached their hands in the middle, some a bit shakier than others. With one big break, they grunted and lifted their arms into the air.

--

Michiru sat on her vanity chair as she stared at her reflection. The woman she saw was tired and so many years older. She never realized that she had aged so much in such a short amount of time. She could've sworn she saw grey hairs sprouting from her roots.

Shaking her head in a sad smile, she turned and watched the case of her violin shine in the morning light. Tucking a stray hair behind her ear, she picked up the instrument and ran her free hand across the wooden finish.

Standing, she picked up her bow and played a few tuning chords, the gentle sound making her heart ache for the one she loved. Closing her eyes, she shifted the instrument beneath her chin into a more comfortable chin, before a melody composed itself out of her emotions.

The heart-ache, the longing, and the agony expressed themselves in the form of sound waves that penetrated through her thick walls, and those who were walking down the street could feel a strange change in atmosphere as the melody carried on through the small brick home.

Her soul was being torn in two as she continued to play. Her heart was grieving the loss of yet another lover, and yet her mind welcomed the isolation; embraced it even. That way, she thought, there was no possible way she could be hurt by another. When it was only her and her alone; heart ache was a thing of the past. She was content with her life.

But when she brought another into her thoughts, her brows furrowed, and her eyes began to water once more. The melancholy melody continued to go up and down. They followed her thoughts like a chain reaction. The crescendos and decrescendos followed the intensity of her thoughts, and the speed depended on how much turmoil her mind was going through.

The melody could be wild one moment, and reserved another. Her mind wandered. Her heart broke all over again, and she found herself unable to continue playing. With one last dramatic draw of her bow, the melody rung out through the atmosphere, and Michiru let out a deep breath she hadn't realized she was holding.

The violin came slowly out from under her chin, and soon found its way neatly back into the glowing case. With a rub of her forehead, Michiru sighed again and walked out of her bedroom door, nearly running into Hana as she did.

The younger girl smiled at her and asked softly, "Would you like some tea?"

"That'd be nice."

The two walked downstairs, and Hana proceeded to make tea. After seating themselves with their tea, the two sat in comforting silence. After taking a sip of her tea, Michiru looked up at Hana, "Is Hiro asleep?"

"Yes. He seems to be quite attached to his new toy as well." She giggled.  
"Ah yes…Akurah…he's a clever child."

"Mmm…"

"Hana?"

"Yes?"

"Have you ever wondered what caused his…his heart problem…?"

"I don't know really. When our parents were still alive, they rarely spoke of it in front of me. Besides, I thought you said it was a hereditary thing."

"Well it is…but…something about his just seems off. And Hana?"

"Yes?"

"Have…Have you noticed their uncanny resemblance?"

"Who?

"Haruka…and Hiro…"

"Now that you mention it," she smiled, "They do look very familiar don't they?"

"I never really thought of it as much, but when I was talking to him yesterday, I saw a smaller Haruka sitting in front of me." Michiru smiled, "I nearly tackled the poor child into a hug after I realized it."

Hana laughed lightly as she took another sip of her tea, "Don't worry, I probably would have thought of doing the same thing. It had been a long week since Haruka had left, and Michiru hadn't heard anything from her.

In all honesty, the bluenette was worried. She stood and walked to the back door, "I'm going to get the laundry."

Hana nodded at her and cleared the table.

The sun greeted her as she walked outside. The laundry basket was an empty weight in her hands, and she felt herself robotically pull the hanging laundry down from the lines. Her thoughts were occupied by a troublesome and stubborn blonde.

She smiled to herself as she thought of the arrogant smirk the blonde possessed, and the slight curve of the lips that would happen when she was vaguely amused. Yes, Michiru had watched her blonde partner closely, and she was glad she did.

It was these simple things that kept her sane. Every night, she would dream of the blonde's warmth melting with her own, and every morning, she swore she could still feel the lingering lips on her skin, her body instinctively backing up into nothing as she sought for the soft firmness of her lover.

So caught up in her thoughts was she that she failed to notice when one of her good neighbors called out to her. It was Mr. Ralph, "Michiru!"

Startled, she nearly dropped her load. When she turned to face the person who called out to her, she smiled genuinely, "Mr. Ralph. It's nice to see you out today."

"Yes, well I decided to just close up today and take the day off. It's a great day today, don't you think?"

"It's lovely out today."

"Say, where's that nice young fellow you were with a couple of weeks ago? Today seems like a good day for an outing." He winked at her.

Michiru smiled sadly and replied, "He left. He had some business to attend to, and he couldn't stay."

Mr. Ralph noticed the change in Michiru's attitude and finally understood, "I'm sorry Michiru. I wish that he could've stayed. He seemed like such a nice boy too."

Michiru inwardly smiled. That was Mr. Ralph for you. He never judged you or pried, "Me too."

"Tell you what Michiru, since I've taken the day off, why don't we go somewhere today. Bring Hana and Hiro along too! It'll be fun, what do you say?"

"I would, but I've got afternoon appointments."

"Aw come on Michiru, no one's dying in this here town, or else we would've heard by now. Besides, you look like you need to get outside and do something fun. I'll even pack the food and everything! We'll gather some friends and play some games at the park. It'll be fun."

Michiru thought about it. She did need a stress reliever, and Hiro would be excited to be able to see the other children. Hana really did need to make some friends her age anyways, and she hadn't spent a lot of time with Mr. Ralph lately. So she smiled and said, "I'd be glad to go. Give me a second to notify Hana and Hiro and to get ready."

"Good! I'll meet you here once I've gotten ready myself. I'll see you soon Michiru!" with that, the old man jogged back to his home jus down the street.

Michiru sighed and closed the door behind her. _Soon Haruka…promise me you'll come back soon…please…_

--

Haruka lingered for a last few moments in the building that she had shared with her men just last night. The air was musty, she could've sworn she saw a rat crawling around, and she the stink was nearly unbearable, but all the same, Haruka knew she would miss this place.

With a final glance, she walked out, her bag slung over her shoulder. Only a few feet from the door, the captain stood eating an apple. Without a word, he started walking, and once again, Haruka followed him, "So what is it this time? I already denied your offer once, I'll do it again."

"Who said I was going to offer you your freedom again? You obviously would much rather be here, so I'm not going to stop you."

There was no cynicism in the captain's words, nor hate, it was said in a matter-of-fact tone. Haruka sighed, "All right, so what were you doing waiting for me?"

"Because I felt like it."

Haruka raised an eyebrow and shifted the bag on her shoulders, "Uh-huh…"

"You know last night, during the meeting. It was kind of hot out here. So many people in one spot will do that."

"Your point is?"

"You weren't there."

Haruka looked elsewhere, "It was just Eisenhower giving a speech. I didn't really care much. I retrieved my orders from Daly and came back to the bunk for some thinking time."

"You wrote a letter. You wrote a very confused, jumbled, and yet loving letter. You wrote a letter that she will hold onto as she sleeps. You wrote a letter that she'll smell before going to sleep each night, hoping to catch your scent, and then she'll pray. She'll pray that you're ok, and that you'll return to her. You wrote a letter because you yourself were confused, and all in all, it didn't turn out making much sense in the end."

Haruka said nothing.

"You remind me of someone Haruka. You remind me of a young man hopelessly in love with the woman of his dreams. They parted sadly, reluctant to let go. He skipped the big speech from his commanding officer as he was drafted into the army, and instead went back to his bunk to write heartfelt letter, his mind filled with thoughts of her possibly cheating on him as he did so. Do you know what happened next?"

Haruka continued to be silent.

"He sent the letter, and he didn't receive one back for a long time, and his suspicions grew. The girl wrote back to him after five months of separation, his letter attached. She said she couldn't stand being alone…and she apologized…she apologized for falling in love with someone else. She apologized for being pregnant with this other's child, and she apologized for being engaged to the same man, all in only a span of three months in which she met him."

Haruka looked down to her feet.

"His heart was broken as his worst fear came true, and he numbly walked out into the battlefield and nearly got himself killed. If it wasn't for his sheer dumb luck and friends, he would have died. He was placed on probation for careless actions and he wasn't allowed to return to the battlefield for nearly a month."

After a few minutes of walking in silence, Haruka pressed on, "So what happened to him?"

"He got over it, and he was re-instated. He figured the girl was just a bitch, and he would've ended up breaking up with her anyways."

Haruka stopped walking, "That's it?"

The captain stopped as well and cocked his head at her, "Yeah, that's it. What do you want me to say?"

Haruka clenched her fists, "That's all he did?"

He shrugged, "There was nothing else he could do."

"What the hell are you trying to say by telling me this story Matt?!" She rarely used his name.

"Nothing. I'm telling you a story because I feel like it. That's all. Why? Do you think I'm trying to tell you something? You just reminded me. That's all."

Haruka clenched her teeth.

"Hey, maybe you'll have better luck than the guy in the story." He shrugged once again and continued walking.

Haruka stared at his walking form and quickly caught up with him, "What are you implying?"

"Nothing. Jeez, how many times do I have to say this to you?"

"Because it's never 'nothing' when it comes to you. You either have something metaphorical to say, or you don't have anything to say at all! Sometimes, you're completely infuriating!"

"And sometimes, you're completely dense. Look, do you trust Michiru?"

"Yes."

"Good. Then you won't end up like him."

"But…"

"As long as you trust your partner, nothing can possibly go wrong, Haruka. Remember that."

"So…what happened to his letter?" The blonde found herself thinking back to what had started this conversation in the first place.

"It was sent back to him, and he found himself doing the things that he thought she would do. He slept with it. Smelled it. Hugged it. He read it over and over and over again, hoping to catch a spot where she had left a tear drop, until he finally grew up and began to become the soldier that America so desperately needed."

"Why do you have to do that?"

"Do what?"

"Why do you have to be so confusing and metaphorical?"

"It keeps your mind moving and alert. In war, that's what's going to keep you alive, not skill or bravery."

The two stopped in front of a building that had the 2nd ranger division's name written on a board by the door. The captain put his hands in his pockets and smiled at her, "I'll see you on the battlefield Haruka."

Haruka watched him as he walked away and stepped into the building. _Soon Michiru…soon…_

* * *

**Ok, so there's chapter 15…whoa…15…this is long… :O it's still got a lot of chapters to go…ah well, if you review, it'll all be worth it in the end :) Again, I want to thank all you reviewers! Clap clap clap for you! How do you guys like the captain btw? He's one confusing guy isn't he? :D I always have that one confusing character in my fic. I guess I try to make him look mysterious, but end up just making him look like a douche xD ah well, I tried. Anyways, here are my super cool A/N:**

**Vanessa Riverton – lo and behold! Another chapter! And all before a whole month has passed!...right? And I'm waiting for your PerhapsX3 update! The last chapter made me so sad (sniff)**

**MichiruObsessed/Nomi – Ah well, no…she doesn't choose Michiru cuz she's a big douche and about Hal, tsk tsk, be patient, that douche'll come back soon :)**

**Starscream – awwwww, (sniff) I'm so happy! (totally invades personal space and tackle hugs)**

**Dreaded Demon of Night – hee hee, no she didn't go back to Michiru cuz she's a big douchey mc douche douche pants. **

**Petiyaka – You are absolutely right my good reviewer! Thank you for the compliment btw :D**

**Knightlight – Hey! You didn't have to nag me this time! Isn't that super uber cool? And I took the long way. And yes, I do hope you enjoy it :)**

**Asakure – Yes! She did stay! And yeah, Akurah…Idk…it surprised me that I haven't seen it in a fic before…or maybe I have…and don't remember…in any case… xD**

**Akira-kun – I'm glad you see all these details and you even like how I write them! And your hunch was right xD**

**Katie – yes, it has been long hasn't it? But not n e more! Not since I've discovered Call of Duty 2 anyways xD thank you for your review and I hope you continue to enjoy!**

**Reusch17 – Yes, thank knightlight xD! And yes! Go! Go work on your "Life" series! And this chapter's a tad bit longer. :) **

**BluexSavior – Yes, a song! But also a dance! And don't feel silly! That's my job xD**


	16. James Earl Rudder

D-Day

**Because it's been a month already**

* * *

**James Earl Rudder**

* * *

Haruka walked into the stuffy room and looked around. She saw nearly nobody, and almost walked back out until a voice called out to her, "Hey, can I help you?"

Haruka turned to face the man, "Yeah, I was sent here. Sharpshooter."

The short man with wiry hair and thin glasses smiled and fixed the bifocals fixed on his nose, "Ah, Rudder's been waiting for you. The Japanese guy right?"

"Yeah."

"Yeah, ok, follow me. His office is right here."

Haruka was lead down a corridor and to a set of metal double doors. The man saluted and left her side. Haruka rapped on the doorknob before receiving a grunt in approval.

Upon opening the door, she was met with the vision of a young Caucasian man with a standard military buzz cut. He was looking through documents on his table, but looked up as he noticed someone enter. He raised his eyebrows and smiled gently at her. His soft eyes motioned her to sit, and she did as she was commanded.

He sat at his own desk and saluted, "Welcome, soldier. Who might you be?"

Haruka saluted back before going at ease and replying, "Tenoh Haruka. I was sent in as a sharpshooter."

Rudder smiled, "Well it's a pleasure to finally meet you boy."

"As it is to meet you, sir."

"So I understand you've been serving under Matt for the last five or six years."

"Yes sir. Captain Matthew has taken good care of me."

"I'm sure he has. You two are a lot closer than you're letting on, aren't you?"

Haruka sighed and smiled, "You know?"

"Of course. Matt's been a close friend of mine for a long time…I knew he was keeping something from me."

"Well…sir…ever since I arrived…Captain Matt's been my legal guardian. It wasn't hard…really…some document copying, signature forging, and a little talent for lying, and he was my legal guardian. Of course, I was only sixteen then."

"Hmm…ok…and how'd you two meet?"

"Sir…not to be rude, but shouldn't we be talking about more relevant matters?"

"What's more relevant than learning about my new soldier? Now tell me. How did you meet Matt?"

"Recruitment office. Matt just had an eye for things…and he secretly approached me. We talked, and he was polite and understanding. I finally divulged to him my problem of not being a citizen, and he laughed and slapped my back before saying he would take care of it. From there, our relationship just kind of soared. He set me up with some money, an apartment, and everything I'd need to fit in."

"And you trusted him?"

Haruka smiled, "You know the feeling when you first meet someone? Either if it's dislike, attraction, kindness, or things like that? I felt trust immediately when I looked in his eyes. It sounds cheesy, but it's true."

Rudder smiled and nodded. He waited and watched Haruka's expression as they sat there. After a while, he laughed and smiled gently at her, "Leave someone behind?"

Haruka broke out of her thoughts and looked up at the man who could read her mind. She nodded slowly and sighed, "Yes, sir."

"Hmm…pretty and young?"

"Very."

"Kind, talented, amazing, elegant, and any other dazzling adjectives you could think of?"

Haruka chuckled softly at the thought of Michiru and replied, "Yes, sir. Very much so."

"What are you doing here then?"

Haruka watched him closely before answering, "Because I want to be. I've worked with my men for so long…that it's become almost unbearable to be apart from them, although it hurts to be apart from her as well…I'm just confusing you aren't I?"

Rudder laughed, "No, no. I understand what you mean. You've become attached to your men and feel like you have an obligation to protect them, but then again, you've fallen in love and can't seem to be apart for longer than a few minutes, never mind a couple of weeks…or worse…months!"

Haruka nodded weakly, "I'm lost without her…but the men are lost without me…We've all been through so much together that it wouldn't be fair for me to just leave." She looked up and smiled apologetically, "I'm sorry, I'm rambling. I shouldn't be bothering you with problems such as these."

"No, no. I'm glad you did. The sooner we get this resolved, the faster we can get to training. I'd rather not have your mind be on something else while in the battlefield. After all, you could be the best sharpshooter the world's ever seen, but if you took your focus away for a second, you could be shot down by the second best."

Haruka smiled and nodded. As the two were about to continue their conversation, a knock at the door interrupted them. Rudder stood from his desk and commanded them to come in.

The door opened cautiously, and two men with buzz cuts and dirty training gear stepped in. They saluted, "Sir. Training from A-F has been completed, sir. Permission to run emergency drills sir?"

Rudder stared at them for a little while before smiling and nodding at them, "Go ahead. Just don't slack off, all right?"

"Sir!" The two left without so much as a glance to the blonde.

Haruka watched Rudder as he walked around his desk and situated himself on it, right in front of her, "So…"

"Sir?"

"Sharpshooter huh?"

"Yes, sir."

"The best?"

"Of course."

"Ok…I trust you…but if my men die because of you…" his eyes darkened, "You'll be seeing hell." Shocked by the sudden change in mood, Haruka gulped and nodded.

Rudder got off of his desk and sat back at his desk.

"Now…about our mission…"

Haruka immediately sat up, "Yes, sir."

Rudder sighed and pulled out a folder filled to the point of overflowing with written documents, photos, graphs, and any other type of parchment one could think of. He rummaged through the pile before separating a few photos and written documents from the rest. He laid them out open faced on his desk and his eyes continued to stay cold, "Haruka…look at these." He pointed to the six pictures he had laid out, "Do you know what these are?"

Haruka looked them over and nodded, "Yes, sir. 155 millimeter canons used by the enemy forces sir."

"And do you know what the plan is?"

"No sir."

Rudder sighed and stood up, lightly playing with the books on his bookshelf, dust soon filling the air, "We're invading France, soldier. We're going to make History."

Haruka watched as the man ran his finger along the spine of one of his books before rubbing the dust onto his thumb. He turned back to Haruka and continued to explain the mission. Omaha beach. Utah. Sword. Gold. Juno. The airborne landings. Everything in full.

America was really going to do it. They were going to invade Normandy and put an end to Hitler's doings. At least they were going to try. Early on the morning of June 6th, those assigned to clean out the area would invade by both watercraft and aircraft. The main team would be arriving through Omaha and Utah. One in the morning, and another later in the afternoon.

Everything was planned to the dot. This at that hour. That at this hour, and etc. If they were to execute everything perfectly, victory would be in the palm of their hands. Reinforcements and were dotted on this time, and supplies on another. Everything depended on timing.

After listening to the man for almost twenty minutes, never once did she hear him mention what she was assigned to do. Rudder only stopped after finally concluding the mission of the allied forces at Omaha. He looked carefully at Haruka and turned back to the pictures, "Do you know where these are situated?"

"No, sir."

"They have a range of approximately 25,000 yards, soldier, and they have commanding view over Omaha and Utah. If they are not taken out, they could hinder the landings, and destroy our mission."

"Yes, sir."

"You were assigned to Dog company were you not?"

"Yes, sir."

"You and the rest of your teammates will be expected to handle the west side of Pointe Du Hoc. Your mission is to get to those guns and take them out. If you are unsuccessful, the lives of thousands will be on your life, if you're still alive. You're commanding officer will be First Sergeant Leonard Lomell."

As he finished speaking, the door opened, and a young man of 24 entered the room. He sported well groomed and wavy brown hair, and soft eyes, "Sir. I've heard word of a soldier that I'm to train."

Rudder smiled at him and motioned to Haruka. The blonde immediately stood and saluted to her new commanding officer, "Take good care of him, Lowell. He looks like a keeper." He winked.

"Yes, sir." As the two were about to leave the room, Rudder spoke to Haruka.

"And boy…I'm sorry that we didn't get to finish talking…don't keep thinking about it and we'll talk after all this crap is over. How's that?"

Haruka smiled and saluted at him, "Yes, sir."

"Good. Dismissed." The door shut softly.

--

Michiru awoke and instantly shivered. She had only shared the bed with the blonde twice, and yet she missed the warmth the other body had provided for such a short time. She sighed and lifted the covers off of herself, determined to get through another day.

The woman mechanically dressed herself, brushed her hair, and walked down the stairs, where the scent of a freshly prepared breakfast reached her nostrils. The woman smiled and entered the kitchen, "That smells delightful."

Hana turned form the stove and smiled, "I'm glad you think so. Sit." Michiru sat down and was handed a plate of eggs and bacon with a side of bread along with tea.

"Thank you."

Hana sat down across from her and they ate in silence. A word was exchanged here and there when questions came up, but for the most part, the two were mute. The quiet was quickly broken when Hiro came bouncing down the stairs with Akurah gripped tightly in his right hand, "Good morning!"

The two women smiled as the young boy sat at his place and wolfed down his breakfast. They shared a light laugh before going back to their own meals, "So Hiro…what would you like to do today?"

With a mouth full of eggs, he answered, "I want to go to the park! When we went with Mr. Ralph, I had lotsa fun."

Michiru smiled gently at him and nodded, "The park it is then." She thought about the trip to the park where worries were forgotten, the war was nonexistent, and all their men were safe at home where they belonged. That was two weeks ago. Haruka had been gone for a whole month now.

Michiru shook the thoughts out of her head and instead focused on what people she did have with her. She looked at the two siblings playing with each other and smiled. The three had become even closer since Haruka had left. They all depended on each other to help them through the time where Haruka had left them.

Michiru took a deep breath and laughed when Hiro had managed to get eggs nearly up his nose. She would get through today like she had the other days. With the help of her family. After all, Haruka was coming home soon…right?

* * *

**Ok, ok, so I lost track of time…sorry xD Ok so this is a really short chapter and almost has no meaning to it. Whoop de doodle doo. I needed to get Rudder and Lomell in, and they wouldn't fit in the D-Day chapter…which is next btw xD**

** Expect the next chapter to be a long one filled with action and (gasp) surprises. So read on and review, because I will write on and update anyways, here are my A/N**

**Asakure – yes…yes she could…-.o**

**Katie – Copy that xD**

**BluexSavior – LOL well it's ok…'cause they're your family and they'd love you no matter how crazy you look…**

**Reusch17 – xD thank you and s'okay…I started another story too…I know how it feels "**

**Knightlight – yes well this update was boring…O.o…I'm hoping to get the next one up this weekend, because this was really boring…xD but yes…the long way…thank you btw **

**Vanessa Riverton – Woot! COD rawks! And (sigh) I can't believe Perhapsx3 is over…Dx**

**Petiyaka – yes…war does suck…**

**MichiruObsessed – OH…Idk…I thought it would be cool if Hiro resembled Haruka…totally stupid…I know…but…but I wanted it! xD**

**Akira-kun – Yesh…long…and I know things weren't cleared up at all in this chapter…but in the next one…the long one…everything will be cleared up. Promise xD**

**Starscream – yay! Yay for being interesting! COD rocks…**

**Anyways…even though this was boring and can be classified as 'stupid' review for me…I'm always open to suggestions See yous later.**


	17. D Day

Dear Michiru,

**I'm really sleepy…**

* * *

**D-Day**

* * *

_May 21, 1944 : 2300hrs_

_Dear Michiru, _

_This letter has been long overdue, and I apologize for not sending a copy at an earlier date. Actually…I wrote one a couple months ago when I first arrived. But, I couldn't send it to you. The reason I haven't contacted you in the past months is because my thoughts have been jumbled ever since I arrived. I honestly couldn't tell my left from my right. I indulged in my training, seeing nothing else but the end of the course or the other side of the scope. I've ignored my feelings and thoughts of doubt and completely gave myself up to the war and the training that came with it. _

_But I find that I've run out of time. In two weeks…we're deploying. In two weeks, I'm going to fight. For you, and for the sake of this twisted world. _

_I can't evade my feelings anymore. I thought about it all night. I tossed and turned, and nearly got kicked out of the bunk for moving so much. I couldn't, no, can't stop thinking about you. Your smile. Your eyes. Your laugh. Your voice. I can't stop thinking about all the reasons I fell in love with you, and it hurts to think about not being able to see you again. I don't know how, or why, but you found the heart to love me back. I'm sorry, and I wish things were different. _

_Anyways, how are Hana and Hiro? I hope they're okay. I miss you all terribly. Just…until you get word of my death…just wait for me…please? I'll do my best to return to you. I will, really. So wait for me. I have so much more to say, but I don't have the energy or the state of mind to do it. I need sleep. I guess…with this…I can be somewhat content. I only hope it reaches you in time, because on the early morning of June 6__th__…I want you to pray for me…pray that I'll return…pray that I'll be able to come back, and be able to give you the love you deserve. _

_All my love,_

_Haruka_

**D-Day**_  
_--

_June 5, 1944 : 2200hrs_

First Sergeant Leonard Lomell watched his men come off the transport and set foot on the _Amsterdam_, a steamer they were to use to get to their LCAs twelve miles off the coast of the Pointe du Hoc, the departure for their mission only six hours away. He paced back and forth as the soldiers made a beeline with their artillery and belongings; stacking them together in a neat pile in the designated section of the boat.

He continued pacing until a hand squeezed his shoulder gently. Jack Kuhn, one of the other commanding officers, was standing next to him, "Nervous?"

"Aren't you?"

"Nope. Not at all."

"Well I'm jealous."

"I'm anxious."

"Really now?"

"Yes. Six hours until we begin the making of history. Exciting isn't it?"

The two were interrupted by a soldier quickly running up to them and saluting, "Sirs!"

The two men acknowledged him and nodded to him, "Yes?"

"We've finished unloading and are all ready to embark."

"Very well then…we should board. Well done Captain Wheeler. I'm glad Britain lent you to us, or else there would be chaos on the battle field. I know it must be hard to take orders from Sergeants, but I'm sure you'll be just fine."

Harrison nodded and saluted before going back on his way. They were about to continue talking until they noticed a certain blonde standing off to the side all alone, watching the transferred soldier closely. Kuhn raised an eyebrow at Lomell and asked, "That the one?"

"Yep." Kuhn smiled and left to go speak to the blonde.

"Hey."

Haruka, startled, turned around quickly and nearly fell off the edge of the dock, "Sorry sir. I wasn't paying attention."

"Don't mention it."

"And sir…excuse me for asking, but isn't he a Britain soldier?"

"Who? Wheeler? Yes. He's a transfer. Why? You know him?"

"Yes…" He watched closely as the blonde's fist clenched and her eyes turned dark.

"I hear you're our sharpshooter. One of the best, actually."

"Yes, sir."

"I have high expectations of you. You do know what sharpshooters do, right?"

"Yes, sir. I'm well aware of my role in this war."

"Good. A sharpshooter protects his comrades…no matter what. If you see an open shot that could save a comrade, circumstances aside…you take it. Understood?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good. Don't let me down, Tenoh."

"Yes, Sergeant Kuhn."

Kuhn laughed, "Man…so many higher ups are under my command…I'm sorry."

"No worries sir. It's all for the good of the mission, besides, I haven't been briefed about the mission all that much. I only know the gist of it. I'm honored that my life is in your capable hands, sir." Haruka saluted.

Kuhn turned and nodded slowly, "Yeah…yeah…well, get on the steamer, and play nice. Less than six hours, Tenoh. Less than six hours…"

--

_June 5, 1944 : 2300hrs_

Michiru stretched as she took one last glance at the letter on her desk. She had received it early that morning, but she didn't open it. Why was it? Why didn't she open the letter? She was afraid. She was afraid of what the truth that letter would offer her. A truth she would rather live without.

It could have said anything. A letter from Haruka. She could have said that she had found someone else, to saying that she was going on a suicide mission. The door to her bedroom opened, and Hana stepped in.

She walked up to the older woman and embraced her, "Is it a letter from her?"

Michiru nodded, "Yes."

"What did it say?"

"I don't know…"

"Open it."

Michiru took a deep breath and did as she was told. With shaky hands, she took the letter and opened it, the faint scent of Haruka lingering on the worn piece of parchment.

--

_June 6, 1944 : 0400hrs_

The sound of boots hitting the deck could be heard, "Come on men, move, move, move!" First Sergeant Leonard Lomell was herding his barrage of men onto the LCAs as quickly as he could, "Let's go! We don't have any time!"

As Haruka whizzed by him, he grabbed her shoulders. Without a word he nodded to her, and she repeated the action, understanding in cold green eyes.

Lomell took a deep breath and went back to getting his men onto the LCAs. The English water crafts were being loaded one by one. The boats rocked and rocked, and the gloom of the clouds made it difficult to see. Lomell ran over to his buddy, Jack Kuhn's side and yelled over the wind, "Has everyone been boarded onto a boat?!"

Holding his hat on his head, Kuhn squinted and replied, "I'm okay here! Everyone's on!"

"Ok! Me too!"

"Let's go!" The two men ran by Rudder and saluted before getting on an assault boat themselves.

The twelve mile journey to shore took longer than expected, and Haruka felt the need to empty the contents of her stomach all over the floor of the boat. Her head throbbed and she felt like the whiny little trainee she used to be. Useless. Clenching her teeth, she gripped her rifle tightly and shut her eyes.

Lomell turned to Kuhn and yelled, "We've got problems! Some of our boats are sinking!"

Kuhn looked around him and found that some boats were indeed sinking, "These waves are too big!" Just as they finished talking, the aerial assaults stopped and one of their assault ships, the USS Texas, shelled the Pointe with everything it had.

The men all looked up at the terror happening before them, and they watched with awe. The assault was magnificent. The explosions were everywhere, and before they knew it, it was over.

Lomell squinted at the shore and suddenly dead panned, "Jack!"

"What?!"

"This isn't Pointe du Hoc!"

"What?!"

"This isn't Pointe du Hoc!"

"I heard you!" The two turned to Rudder and found that he had realized the same thing only seconds ago. The boats were all taking a sharp right and were heading back on track.

They continued along shore until explosions began ringing out everywhere. A boat here and there was taken out, "Shit! Mortar! Take cover!" Everyone immediately crouched and took to the limited safety of the sides of the boat.

The boat rocked and shook as explosions hit everywhere around them. Haruka clutched her gun even tighter, and her legs grew numb. What was this feeling? Was it fear? She hadn't felt fear since the moment she left her parents. It was a mixture of Excitement, anxiousness, restlessness, and adrenaline. She gulped and took deep breaths. Across from her, a soldier was mumbling to himself, holding the cross tightly in his hand, tears slowly making their way down his face.

Haruka shook her head. No. She wouldn't be weak. She wouldn't be weak, damn it. Only the strong survive, and she was going to be one of those strong.

Lomell slammed the side of the boat heavily with his fist and cursed, "Shit! We lost Slater!"

"As much as that's a tragedy, we have more important things to worry about! We're half an hour late, and we're still in the wrong place! We're east, when we're supposed to be west, and we're near where E and F are supposed to land. What the hell do we do?!"

Kuhn shut his eyes, "Fuck! We don't have a damn choice! We're already late enough as it is."

Lomell nodded and faced his men, "All right men! Listen up!" Kuhn motioned to the other boats to follow, "We're changing plans! We're thirty minutes late, and we don't have any other choice. We're assaulting between E and F! When we land, do as planned and get up those cliffs. Tenoh!"

Haruka turned to face her commanding officer, "You make sure those machine guns up there get taken out, you hear me?!"

Haruka nodded.

"Good! Now don't panic! You were trained for this, you worked for this, and you're sure as hell going to do this! So let's do it right!" A simultaneous yell was heard as the men agreed with him.

Suddenly, the boat came to a rearing stop, and the ramp was opened. All hell broke loose.

Haruka's eyes opened wide and a sudden adrenaline pumped through her veins. _Protect…protect…_Haruka dashed out after everyone else had gone and instantly noticed the body of her commanding officer. She winced and went over to him, "You ok, Leonard?!" She spit out the rain water that had accumulated.

He stood up and nodded, "All good, just a scratch!" She nodded and the two quickly ran towards the cliffs. A few of their men had already cleared the top section of their cliff and was scaling it, while others had their ropes cut down and was shot. Dead bodies littered the beaches, and explosions rang out everywhere.

Haruka ran back by the boats and took cover behind one. She took a deep breath and lifted her rifle. She scoped out the machine guns and placed her crosshairs over the one manning it, "So help me god…" She pulled the trigger.

She quickly took out the others at the same bunker and averted her attention to other bunkers. More just kept coming. The rain made it hard to see, and she couldn't tell who comrades were and who enemies were. She began to panic when a voice called out to her, "Tenoh!"

Haruka looked over and found Lomell taking her arm, "Let's move!"

Haruka nodded dumbly and followed him. He ushered her into climbing the rope and followed up after her, most of the men already at the top. Before fully getting to the top, Lomell yelled out to the stationed team's leader, "Stay and watch our backs! Come up later with reinforcements!" The Unknown Soldier at the bottom nodded and ran off to his comrades who were applying heavy firing pressure to the enemies at the top.

With one last pull up, Haruka rolled over to the top and took deep breaths. Lomell followed after her and pulled her off of the ground. He pointed to a crater a little up ahead and Haruka nodded. The two booted over to the crater and slid in with the other twelve already in.

"Lay down some suppressing fire! We need to get to those guns!" Haruka scoped again and found outlines of enemies. The loud blare of her gun was especially loud in her ears, the sniper rifle feeling lighter and lighter in her hands. She turned and ducked to reload when suddenly, a body dropped in front of her. She flinched and stopped all motion. She stared at the body and took ragged breaths.

The soldier next to her shook her, and she looked up. Her eyes widened and she couldn't speak, "What? Cat got your tongue Tenoh?! What the hell are you doing?! Get up and shoot!"

Hal clicked the gun shut, finishing with reloading and popped back up, his shoulders shaking as he fired. Haruka immediately shook her head and did as she was told dumbly. She clicked her own gun shut and popped back up, instantly scoping to get a better view of her enemies. One. Two. Three. Four. Miss. She dropped back down to reload and heard Lomell talking over the rain, "Ok! There's another crater up there! We have to get over there! Wheeler, throw a smoke!"

The English transfer next to Haruka did as he was told and threw a smoke out.

"Wait for it to screen, and get out there as fast as you can! We've lost a lot already! We can't lose any more of you!"

The smoke screen quickly built up and completely took over the German's view of them, "Now!" The group of men and Haruka dashed forward to the next crater. A team came in after them.

That commanding officer yelled over to Lomell, "We've got it here! Get to those guns!"

Lomell nodded and as the smoke screen was just clearing out, Lomell and his men all made a mad run towards the location the guns were said to be placed. Haruka ran through the smoke and saw a silhouette. She first believed it was a comrade, so she merely tried to run around him. Suddenly, a bayonet was lifted in front of her and she widened her eyes. _Kraut…_

She stood in shock until a grunt next to her was heard, and the German fell to the ground. A hand grabbed her arm and pulled her through the smoke screen. They arrived on the other side and Haruka turned to her savior. It was him.

"Jeez…how did you survive all this time…?" He panted and tried to take deep breaths, the rain making it hard to do so.

Haruka stared at him and couldn't speak.

"Look…I know what you're thinking…but this is war man…the less people we have, the less chance we have of winning. I'm calling a truce for now!"

Haruka watched as he ran over to the rest of the group before following him. They arrived in a group and the confused murmurs of all the soldiers could be heard. Lomell threw his hat on the ground as he cursed, "Where the fuck are the guns?!"

--

Michiru and Hana watched the clock with hearts beating faster than the speed of light. It was seven in the morning of June 6th. They hadn't slept after reading the letter. Hiro slept uneasily in Hana's arms and she did her best to calm the upset child.

Michiru didn't know what to do. She gripped the letter in her hands and let her tears fall on them, not a sound being made. The paper crinkled as she gripped it, and a choked sob broke out, "Haruka…"

--

_June 6, 1944 : 0730hrs_

Lomell cursed and yelled as Kuhn rubbed his head. Haruka watched her commanding officers and took a deep breath. She ran over to Kuhn's side, "Jack!"

"What is it?" All formalities were dropped on the battle field. It's not like they meant to, but there were just more important things than rank on a battle field.

"We should move on!" She spit the rain out of her mouth, "There are obviously no guns here! We should continue with the rest of the mission!"

Kuhn sighed and watched backwards, where the firefight was still going on. He sighed and turned to his men, "All right, listen up! There are no guns here, so we'll proceed with our secondary orders! We need to get to the coastal intersection and put up a roadblock! We can't let those Jerries get through to send reinforcements to Omaha!"

Lomell took over, "Let's move!"

The group of men went on their way and soon found themselves at the intended intersection. With a little over a dozen men left, Lomell made sure to be extra careful. Suddenly, one of their soldiers, the scout, was shot, "Sniper! Take cover!" They did as they were told and took cover in the bushes. As he watched the medic take care of the scout, he turned to Haruka, "Tenoh, take out those snipers and rifleman! We need clearance to set up the roadblock!"

Haruka nodded and peeked out of the bushes and aimed towards the direction the bullet came from. A farm house on the other side provided a good vantage point, and that's exactly where Haruka found her little sniper. He was posted in one of the windows of the main home.

Haruka lay on the ground and took up her position. She took aim at his chest and seconds later, he dropped onto the ground below. Riflemen streamed out of the farmhouse and Haruka warned, "We got krauts coming from that farmhouse!"

"Everyone but the medic get over there and take them out!"

The fight started and Haruka found herself shifting positions a number of times. All in less than five minutes, the last of the enemy was taken out with minimal injury on their part. The scout, Jack Conovoy, stood and smiled, "Sorry about that guys." He stood with the help of the medic and held up his rifle.

"Scared us there, Jack." He laughed nervously and smiled again.

Lomell sighed and looked over to Kuhn, who was watching the road, "Ok, it seems we're all clear. Start setting up that roadblock men!"

The men nodded and set off to their tasks. Barbed wire was laid out. Boxes and sandbags were retrieved from the farmhouse and placed . Haruka sighed as she wiped her forehead. The rain had stopped, and it left a musky scent in the atmosphere. When the road block was finished, Kuhn looked everyone over and yelled out, "Ok! Lomell and I are going to find those guns. You all stay here…except for you two, Tenoh and Wheeler, you two come with us."

Everyone nodded and went off to do their jobs. Lomell and Kuhn walked ahead as Haruka and Hal stayed behind, "It's already eight o'clock Len. We're thirty minutes behind schedule."

"Don't worry, Jack. Now...look for big tracks, they must have taken those guns down the main inland road, there's just no way they wouldn't have."

As the two conversed up ahead, Haruka and Hal chose to stay silent. They had nothing nice to say to each other, so they didn't say anything at all. Haruka finally grew tired of the silence and without turning to look at him, she said, "You disappeared."

"Hmm…so I did…"

"Why?"

"Why do you care?"

"Just curious." The quiet and tense chatter between them went on unnoticed by the two up ahead.

"I needed to get away. That's all. Do you know what they would've done if they found out about our little brawl?"

"…hmm…"

"That's why I transferred to the rangers. I didn't feel safe being in England's army after that, so I left. I must say, I wasn't expecting to meet you here."

"Small world." Their conversation was cut short as bullets grazed the ground they were walking on.

They watched as Lomell and Kuhn took cover, and so they followed. Lomell looked up and found them up ahead shooting from the edge of the point to their location, "All right…listen up…they have 88mm guns up there. Tenoh. Take him out." Haruka nodded, "Once we have running room, we'll hit them low and hard. Understood?" Everyone nodded.

Haruka lay down on her stomach once again and popped out of the bushes, her shadow barely visible. Lomell watched her and said over to Kuhn, "He's good at what he does isn't he?"

"Yeah." The trigger was pulled and they wall watched as the German posted at the 88mm dropped to the ground his comrades trying to take over for him.

Lomell popped up and yelled, "Now!" The group of four ran forward and shot them as they attempted to come back from their loss. In under a minute, the group of Germans was taken out, and they had open road once more.

Lomell stood and suddenly noticed a secondary road. He took a step back and craned his neck to see where it lead. He noticed worn out truck marks on it and nudged Kuhn, "Take a look at this."

Kuhn looked and nodded, "Tenoh, go with Leonard and find out where this leads. Wheeler and I will stay here and cover you two." She nodded and ran after Lomell.

Lomell turned to her and pointed at the bushes and trees randomly scattered around, "Ok, I'll go first, you cover me. Just keep going. We'll take turns and cover each other at each barrel." Haruka nodded and switched her sniper for her primary rifle.

Lomell dashed towards the bush and motioned for Haruka to go. Haruka dashed to the next bush as Lomell covered her. They continued this until Lomell came upon a clearing and he gasped, "Holy shit…Tenoh!"

Haruka quickly made a dash towards her commanding officer and she too opened her mouth, "This is…"

"Ha-ha! Here they are!"

Haruka smiled before frowning, "Wait a second, where's the sixth one?"

"We'll worry about that later, here, hand me your thermite grenade." Haruka did as she was told and handed the weapon over.

Lomell ran over to the two of the first guns and placed them in the visible gears before going and smashing in the sights of all five guns. He ran back to Haruka and said excitedly, "Quick, we have to get more grenades from the men, let's move!"

As fast as they could, the two booted back to Hal and Kuhn and asked for their grenades. They went back to the roadblock and retrieved more grenades before returning to the clearing. He instantly planted them in the places where they would do most damage. The heat from the thermite grenades would meld parts of the guns together, making them inoperable.

Haruka stayed back and covered her officer as he did his job and she took deep breaths. _It's almost over…almost over…_

In less than ten minutes, Lomell made a mad dash back to Haruka and smiled, "Let's get the fuck out of here…" The two made their way down the secondary road when an explosion broke out. Haruka flinched and nearly tripped when a painful ringing went on in her ears. Lomell urged her on and with his help, the two made it back to the road block, where Hal and Kuhn were waiting.

The men instantly went to greet them. Kuhn instantly went up and asked, "So? What happened?"

"The guns are officially inoperable."

Kuhn smiled and nodded, "Now, all we have to do is survive…"

Lomell's expression turned grim and he nodded, "Hear that? Survive."

--

_June 6, 1944 : 1800hrs_

Michiru had cried herself to sleep despite herself, and Hana was the only one awake. She sighed before carefully standing and taking Hiro upstairs, "This is pointless…we'll only make ourselves sick by doing this…" despite herself, tears slipped out of her eyes, but she was too careless to wipe them away.

She entered her and Hiro's bedroom before tucking the small child into the sheets, kissing his hair softly after she had done so. She sat down at the edge of the bed and clenched the sheets. Haruka would come back soon. She would. She knew she would.

The doorbell suddenly rang and Hana quickly wiped her eyes. She smoothed out her dress and opened the door. When she peeked downstairs, she noticed Michiru already up and talking to whoever was at the door.

Michiru opened the door wider and revealed to Hana that it was Mr. Ralph that was at the door. Michiru waved Hana down and the girl followed.

Mr. Ralph had a melancholy expression on his face as he spoke, "I see you two already know about the assault. This morning…they landed. So…I was wondering if you two were able to come to the park tonight." They looked at him oddly, "It's…a support kind of group. We're going to spend the night there as a town. It's to show each other our support. Some people are feeling mighty lonely right now."

Michiru nodded and Hana placed a hand on her shoulder, "We'll go."  
Mr. Ralph smiled and watched her, "We'll see you there, then."

Hana closed the door softly and whispered, "We're not alone in this, Michiru."

The aqua haired woman nodded tiredly before retiring upstairs to change. Hana watched her go and sighed. _Come home soon…Haruka-papa…_

--

_June 7, 1944 : 0800hrs_

Haruka crouched back down behind the bunker as shots rang out all around her. She expertly pulled out a new clip of ammo and reloaded before popping back up and aiming at the enemies across from her. She had stopped caring how many she'd killed. The only thing running through her mind was to shoot anything that moved in front of her, enemy or comrade.

Her shots were nearly flawless, and her vision seemed to get better instead of worse. Her thoughts had been cleared of any thought other than killing, and she could hardly register Lomell yelling out orders next to her.

She fired another shot through an enemy's stomach. She should be tired. She should be weak. She should be dead. But here she was, still full of energy, stronger than ever, and still alive.

The night before, 25 of the fifth ranger division came as reinforcements. Now, there was no idea how many were left. The second ranger division had come back together the night before. Haruka felt like crying. She gulped back the tears and crouched back to reload, only to have to relocate as a warning of a hand grenade reached her ears. She and the others with her made a mad dash for the sandbags a few feet away from them.

The night before, she was supposed to meet up with Riley, who was sent to be in F Company. He never showed up. Haruka didn't ask. She didn't say a damn thing. She continued to move and loyally follow Lomell and Kuhn without so much as a goddamn fucking word. Now, she wanted to scream. She wanted to cry. She wanted to just lay there and die. But she couldn't. She was too damn proud.

Choking back tears and gulping, Haruka closed her gun and scoped out. One. Two. Miss. Miss. Miss again. The frustrated soldier cursed and crouched back down. She fumbled with the magazines as she tried to reload. She was about to give up and just scream when a hand forcefully jammed the magazine into her gun.

She looked up into the face of Hal and couldn't speak. He clicked her gun closed and crouched down next to her before grabbing her face in both of his hands, "Don't do that Tenoh! Don't you fucking do that!" A bullet whizzed past his shoulder. He didn't bat an eyelash.

Haruka stared at him.

"Don't you fucking break down! Not here, not now! Get your ass up and shoot! Do you want to see Michiru again?! Huh?! Pull your shit together, now! We're getting out of this alive! I'll be damned if you die out here!"

With that, he dropped her face and went back to shooting. Haruka was about to pop up when Kuhn, who was farther ahead of them yelled out, "Potato masher! Move!"

Haruka and Hal immediately stood up and made a mad dash for a crater to their far right. They booted over as fast as they could. Just as they were about to slip into the safety of the mortar created crater, Hal screamed out in pain. He doubled over and dropped his rifle. He rolled into the crater, and Haruka slid in after him.

She immediately dropped down to her stomach and inspected her comrade, "Hal! Lomell, we got a man down!"

Lomell slid in not a second later and inspected Hal, "Shit…Mason!"

A scruffy soldier carrying a small pack slung around his shoulder was seen running at them at full speed, finally tumbling into the crater and coming to a stop, "Sir?!" They all winced as an explosion rang out a few meters away from them.

A soldier on the far left side of the field turned to them and yelled, "Mortar! North East side!"

Kuhn turned from the gun fight ahead, "Tenoh! Get your ass over there and snipe out those mortar teams!"

Haruka was torn. She looked over to Hal, who groaned about his leg and made eye contact, "What? You're not my mom, get the hell over there before I kill you myself!"

Nodding, Haruka peeked out of the crater, "I'm moving! Cover me!"

Kuhn nodded and threw a smoke out between the two sides, "Let's get some suppressing fire on these bastards!" He screamed as his machine gun rocked his body.

Haruka waited for the smoke screen to completely shelter her before taking a deep breath and hopping out of the crater. She breathed heavily as she booted over to a wall of sandbags on the other side. A group of rangers were on her left, and a few were on her right. Her flanks were covered.

"Tenoh! Straight ahead!"

Haruka nodded and set up her sniper rifle. Sure enough, the mortar team was sitting there nice and pretty, just waiting for her to pick them off. She took a deep breath and held it. The gun was steady. The mortar team fired another round before one dropped dead. Haruka let out the breath she was holding before taking another deep breath and doing it again. She aimed for the second mortar member and fired. He fell to the ground with a violent jerk.

As the enemy tried to recuperate and get more mortars on, Haruka reloaded and repeated the action again. It finally got to the point where she couldn't take them all out. Suddenly, Hal came sliding in next to her, his back hitting the sandbags violently. He winced and grabbed his leg, "What the hell are you doing here?!"

Those were the first words she had spoken all day, "What the fuck do you think I'm doing here?! Having a tea party?! I'm here to cover you!" As if making his point, he peeked out of the bunker and took aim. He missed the first couple of shots, but finally hit one with his last bullet.

He crouched back down to reload and Haruka shook her head before popping out and continuing to pick off mortar teams. When she came back down again, she furrowed her eyebrows, "There are too many of them! I don't have enough bullets!"

Hal cursed and looked around. He noticed their ammunition bunker and turned to look at the enemy positions. He cussed. If he made a dash for the ammunition, there would be Jerries all over him, and to top it all off, the mortar teams had a good view of him. Besides, he had an injured leg. He leaned back against the wall of sandbags and held his gun close to him before turning to Haruka, "Ok…I'm going to get you more ammo! I wouldn't be able to cover you if you were to go!" He flinched as another explosion hit near them, "I want you to take out as many mortars as you can…and I want you to pray for me."

"You're nuts! They have a clear view of you if you go!"

"Just take out the closest ones! Got it?! Good!" With no further words, Hal crouched and made a mad dash for the munitions bunker. Haruka watched him for a second before gulping and taking her position. She shot as many as she could. She took care of the closest ones first, and even a few of the farther ones.

It was when her sniper made an empty clicking noise that she started to panic. Hal had been gone for almost two whole minutes now. A lot happened in two minutes. She crouched behind the bunker and tried to steady her breathing. She looked over to where Hal ran off to and found that the flying dust and musty air made it hard to see.

She leaned her head back on the bunker and cursed again. She slung her sniper around her shoulders and pulled out her rifle. She booted over to the team a few meters away from her and asked, "Have you seen Hal?!"

A reloading soldier turned to her and shook his head, "Nothing over here but krauts, krauts, and more krauts!" He took aim.

Haruka took deep and ragged breaths as she looked around. She slammed the ground with her fist and growled. A soldier turned to her and put a hand on her shoulder, "Don't think about it! As much as I hate to say it, we have more important things to worry about!"

Haruka sighed and nodded, "I'm out of rounds!"

The same soldier turned to her and pointed to a box a couple of meters away, "We'll cover you as best as we can! We took them with us, but couldn't take it all the way!" Haruka nodded and ran towards the box. With shaky fingers, she pulled out as much as she could carry and ran back to the team. She reloaded and was back in action.

The firefight lasted for hours, and didn't stop until late in the afternoon. Wounded soldiers were carried back into the bunker, and the dead were laid out on the roof of it. Haruka removed her helmet and ran a gloved hand through her mud slick blonde hair. Lomell was yelling out orders about the wounded, and everyone moved at a fast pace.

She crouched down and watched the body in front of her for a few seconds. She just stared. The dead eyes, the pale face, the bloody leg and chest. She didn't show any emotion. She couldn't. Here was the man she thought she hated, and yet she couldn't bring herself to be even a little happy that he died. In fact, she felt absolutely miserable. _He died trying to help me…_

Haruka didn't even try to cry. She remembered Hal's words. Don't break down. She would've continued to watch if Lomell didn't jog over to her, "Hey."

"Hey Len."

"You okay?"

"Yeah. I'm good. He doesn't look too well though…" Haruka nudged Hal with the point of her foot.

Lomell let out a crooked smile, "Hey, I know how it feels to lose someone you cared about…"

Haruka sighed and stood up, "That's just it. I didn't even like the guy." She walked away and left Lomell to take care of Hal's body.

Lomell just shook his head and wrapped Hal's arm around his shoulder before dragging him to the roof of the bunker. Haruka sat behind the bunker, her back leaned against the building as she held her gun close to her chest. She had already grabbed new clips and was fully ready for another counter-attack, but her mind wasn't at the war.

_I wonder what Michiru's doing right now? How about Hana and Hiro? Maybe she'll cook me something good when I come back…some of her beef stew…_

An anxious scream was heard around the grounds, "Counter-attack! Germans to the South-West!"

Frustrated shouts all around her was heard, but Haruka stood up languidly and with a slight smile. _I wonder if she'll still smell as good as she did. I wonder if she'll smile for me like she used to. I wonder…I wonder if she's still as wonderful as the first moment I met her. I wonder Michiru…tell me…_

--

_June 7, 1944 : 2100hrs_

Michiru and the others from town all stood in a circle, scented candles illuminating their figures, and nothing more. Nobody said a thing, and the children were all silent. Michiru laced her fingers with Hana, and Hiro clung onto her skirt as Akurah hung from his other hand.

No one dared to say a thing. They had stayed the night the day before, yet no one slept. No one said a thing until Mr. Ralph walked out to the middle of the familiar faces, "Listen…everyone…I know, that it is hard for us to get through this time. Our young men are off fighting a war for us, and I know we all miss them terribly. But…we'll all become sick if we don't return home and get rest. Yesterday was wonderful. We, as a town, shared in each other's weakness and strengths…but now…what can we give to each other, if we have not the strength to give it with? So please…everyone go home. It's been a long day, and frankly, there's nothing more that we can do."

With nothing further, Mr. Ralph walked past the group and out of the park. One by one, the families and groups left, following Mr. Ralph's lead. Michiru stayed and stared at the candle she held in her hands. She walked down the small path and came to the pond where Haruka had sat with her. She sat down on the bench and watched the candle. Hana watched from afar before gathering Hiro and walking back home.

Michiru watched as the light night breeze blew around the candle before it completely blew out. With a sigh, Michiru left the candle on the bench and sat down next to it, "Tell me, Haruka…how are you? Where are you? Why are you there? Do you miss me as much as I miss you? You know…Hana and Hiro miss you…I…I got your letter. You're so stupid…how could you think I'd do anything but wait for you?" She sniffed as she laughed, "I'm nothing without you. If anything…I hope you don't run off with some girlish man from the army." She laughed again and wiped the tears from her eyes, "I miss you…so much…come back to me Haruka…come back to me…" Michiru buried her face in between her knees as she cried, no one to hear her but the clear night sky.

--

_June 8, 1944 : 1530hrs_

Haruka hid as another barrage of explosives rained upon their team. She ran for the bunker and took shelter within the depths of it until the shaking stopped. She came out carefully and took a position next to Lomell.

Lomell turned off the radio and turned to Haruka, "Reinforcements are coming soon! The 116th regiment and the 29th infantry are coming! They've breached through the West end!"

Haruka nodded at him and took her position at his side. They had been at this for two days now. They hadn't a wink of sleep, and not a crumb of food to eat. Water rations had been running low, and everyone's canteens were nearly empty. Haruka herself had run out of water just that morning, even after she had only been taking tiny sips here and there.

Lomell turned to Rudder, who had been off with his team on another bunker and saluted to him, "We got reinforcements coming James! Today's the day!"

Rudder smiled and nodded before going back to the firefight. Lomell turned back to Haruka and watched her, "Its all come down to this Tenoh! It's been a fucking pleasure working with you lad!" With that, Lomell dash toward a stack of crates, leaving Haruka and Rudder to themselves. Haruka reloaded and aimed, taking out another couple of enemy soldiers before having to get back down and reload.

Rudder came down with her and yelled over the guns, "Let's end this!"

Haruka clicked her gun closed and nodded. The two went on with the firefight. They continued on for another five minutes before the sound of tanks and soldiers could be heard. One of the rangers yelled out, "Reinforcements!"

The rangers all hooted in joy. With the help of their newly found comrades, the rest of the wave of German-Counter attackers was destroyed, and the rangers were relieved of their position.

Haruka removed her helmet and shook out her slick and dirty hair. She was about to brush it back with her hand until an arm hooked around her shoulder, "All right Tenoh! Mission accomplished!" A fellow soldier shook her before going off to follow Rudder and the rest of the rangers over to their transport.

The ride back to the cliff was short lived, and they didn't run into much trouble. A couple of tanks and a convoy full of soldiers would probably be a bad thing to run into, after all.

As the 90 out of the 225 men approached the British landing crafts, Haruka took a deep breath and sighed. She watched as the men who were left boarded the craft and let the wind blow through her muddy hair. She felt a comforting hand on her shoulder and turned to face Rudder. The man smiled kindly before going on his way.

Haruka was about to follow when a hand was placed on the opposite shoulder. Haruka turned to instead face Lomell. He smiled at her and wrapped an arm completely around her shoulders, "You done good…We all did…"

"I must say…the ending of all this isn't as dramatic as I thought it would be…"

"Well, I'm sure by now you've learned it never is." Haruka chuckled.

"I'm glad you and Jack led us…I might be dead if anyone else were leading us."

"Hmph…what did you expect?" The two laughed as they boarded the assault crafts, their hearts light, and their minds clear. Neither thought of the damages done, and of the losses they would have to deal with. There was time for that later. Now, they would celebrate their victory, and hope that the others were having as good of a day as they were.

* * *

**Un-revised because this thing is freakin' long…well, longer than I'm used to writing anyways, and uhh…yeah…I told you this would be long…I tried to be as accurate as possible, but of course I had to change a lot of things to make it work. For example, Rudder, Lomell, and Kuhn, they are actual officers, and I believe their positions are correct. Obviously, their relationship with Haruka is all made up… I changed some battles and kinda made up some of the firefighting, but you all get the gist of it I hope. I'm really sleepy right now…(yawns) mkay, I'll leave it here, and you can ask questions in a review…kay? Oh, and yeah, it's cheesy that Haruka didn't even get wounded, but you know, scratches here and there blah blah, and whatnot, also, this is the ONLY BATTLE, I'll be doing. I was thinking of doing Hill 400…but then I would bore you all xD so there will be time skipping somewhere along the lines of this story…hope no one's too mad.**

**Petiyaka – Well you see what happened, no? xD **

**Amiko-Gabriel – No, thank you for reviewing :) **

**Reusch17 – I know I'm killing you, and I know that it's intense, but it's war! What do ya expect? "**

**KaE - Not just Britain. Allied forces. America, Britain, Russia, and some random people that I can't seem to remember…o.o**

**Vanessa Riverton – I love angst too! Yay angst! xD Yesh, I am sneaky…:) and I did promise I would update this weekend, and Memorial day counts! Monday and all…:D**

**P.S. I kinda bullshit most of the times like what time they left and did stuff so…don't get mad at me xD Ok, so leave your questions, suggestions, comments, and yellingness in the form of a review for me 'kay? It'll make me smile, and my sleepy smile is awesome…so yeah… xD Whatev, I'm going to shleep…(snore)**


	18. Loose Ends

**Because frankly, war sucks.**

* * *

**Loose Ends**

* * *

The floor creaked softly as Haruka padded into the familiar room. Dust flew as she dropped her bag on the naked mattress. Her eyes scanned the room around her. The sunlight streamed through the window panes, bringing the soft afternoon glow into the room.

The beds all around her were empty, and cobwebs surrounded the corners where the beds met the wall. Sighing, she sat down on the edge of her own bed, a feeling of heaviness suddenly bestowed upon her. She bent over and ran her hands through her greasy hair, fatigue and depression quickly taking over her being.

With a tired sigh, she slowly unlaced her boots, the laces hard from dried mud. Two piles of mud, and a pair of dirty socks later, Haruka was bare foot. She wiggled her toes, refreshed that she could finally let them breathe. She rolled her pant legs up to her knees and rubbed her legs, sore with the harshness of war.

She languidly removed her jacket, and laid it over the front railing of her bed, the slight dampness of it making her hands feel cool. Her dog tags jingled as she dug through her bag, searching for the one thing she had kept from the war. The little plastic bag was found underneath a worn out cap. It made a crinkled sound as she handled it, watching the object inside carefully.

She finally opened the little bag and pulled the item out. She carefully wiped the mud and dried blood off of it and held it between her thumb and forefinger. It felt smooth against her fingers, like something that couldn't possibly cause harm. She clenched her hand, and gripped the bullet tightly. Haruka had begged for it. She had begged for the bullet that had killed him.

Her hands went to the bottom of her shirt, and she lifted the dirty garment off of herself, leaving herself bare to the afternoon air. Bandages surrounded her upper torso, where her breasts were supposed to be. Her fingers went to the end of the knot at her side.

The floor creaked, and Haruka was startled. She snapped her head up, only to turn it away once she had seen who it was. Footsteps went on until they stopped at the bed next to hers. The bed creaked as a man sighed.

A deep voice rumbled, and the room seemed to become a little less dead, "I, uhh, I figured I would find you here." Haruka watched from her peripheral vision as the burly man dusted off his hat.

She neither moved nor made a response.

The man cleared his throat and spoke again, "It's over, Haruka. It's all over now."

The two sat in silence. The sound of shuffling could be heard as the man next to Haruka unlaced his boots, removed his jacket, and finally removed his stained t-shirt, showing a bandaged area around his abdomen. A thick silence filled the room, and neither said a word.

Soon, the door to the front creaked open again, and the two already inside turned their heads to acknowledge whoever had entered. Their expressions were blank as they nodded at the wiry man at the door. He fixed his glasses and nodded back at them before going to a bunk on the far side of the room. There, he placed his glasses on a small table, the only table, next to his bed.

He mimicked the actions of the previous two, and now lay on his bed, shirtless and shoeless, an arm over his eyes. The tension in the room was breathtaking. It was like all the air had been removed from it, and one could only survive if they were one of the undead.

The quiet continued on until suddenly, there was a loud clatter at the door, and a frustrated grunt could be heard. The three in the room shared a look before the one next to Haruka stood and walked over to the door, pulling it open slowly. His eyes grew wide as the sight before him registered.

He quickly dropped down and wrapped the arm of his friend around his shoulder, supporting nearly all of his weight. The Asian man smiled at his comrade and pulled away, using the wall for support instead. He was handed his crutches, and he pulled away from the wall. His bag was carried for him, and together, they entered the room.

Haruka turned to them and was in shock. She couldn't move. Her eyes scanned the two men before her, and she couldn't say a word. Wordlessly, the man with the crutches slowly made his way to the bunk across from hers, and heavily sat down. Haruka could say nothing. She stared. She stared at the stump that used to be his left leg and was speechless.

He too did as the others did and removed his one boot, and his shirt. The four of them sat there, nothing really coming into mind as did so. An hour passed. Two. Three, and nobody else entered. Haruka shook her head as she bent over, running her hands through her hair again.

Day had turned into night, and the four still hadn't said a word. When midnight stroke, Haruka stood from her bed and, lighter and paper in hand, she walked outside. The others followed her and the four stood in a small square, surrounding the fire Haruka had started. She crouched down and watched the flames before throwing in a piece of paper with only three words written on it, "I'm sorry I couldn't be there for you…we all are…"

She stood back up and made eye contact with the others. She nodded to the man next to her, and they left. The chilly night air soon blew the fire out, along with its ashes and whatever remained.

--

Cho awoke to the sound of shuffling in his surroundings. He blinked a few times before finally taking in the view of the others. Langley was to his left, packing, and Haruka and Whittaker were seated on the bed next to him, talking about recent happenings.

He sat up in his bed and swung his leg over the side before yawning. Haruka turned to him and smiled, "Hey, look who's up." The brightly lit hotel room blinded the Asian man for a little before he blinked a couple of times. He smiled up at Haruka.

"Mornin'."

Whittaker sat down next to him and patted his back, "You sleep like a rock, you know that?"

"Oh, really?" He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

Haruka laughed lightly, "Yeah, you fell asleep on the train, and Whittaker carried you all the way here. Then you slept all the way until now."

"Aw man, sorry guys."

"No harm done."

Haruka walked back to him, his crutches in her hand, "Here, you'll need these until we get to the front lobby. Sorry."

Cho shook his head, "No, I actually like these better. Then I'm not such a burden."

Whittaker put his hand on Cho's shoulder before saying seriously, "Don't ever say that. You're not a burden."

Langley returned from the other side of the room and smiled, "Yeah, so come on, Stumpy, we'll be late if you don't hurry."

Cho laughed before taking the proffered crutches and making his way to the restroom. The three in the room laughed and went back to their individual packing. Langley, being the ever curious, asked, "Have either of you been to one before?"

Haruka shook her head and made a sound as if meaning 'no', while Whittaker nodded, "Yeah. My dad."

"What's it like?"

"It's…different. I don't know how to explain it. You'll just have to see for yourself." Haruka walked to the mirror at the front of the room and fixed her tie before shaking out her sleeves.

Whittaker appeared next to her and did the same thing, "You know, Haruka, if I didn't know any better, I'd actually think you were a man."

Haruka gave a lop-sided smile as she continued to 'fix' her tie, "Then I must be doing something right."

Exasperated at Haruka's inability to do a simple tie, Whittaker turned her towards him, standing almost at the same height, he only needed to slightly bend his knees as he fixed her tie, "Honestly, you'd think you know how to a tie by now."

"Matt did it for me…"

"…Well, anyways, I'm sure Michiru will help you out with something like this when you get back."

Haruka's smile turned softer and she had a dreamy look in her eyes, "Yeah…"

"Has she written back?"

Langley interjected, as he appeared next to them, the three cramming to see the mirror, "Written back? Tenoh's got a whole box full of her letters!" Langley combed back his hair and straightened his glasses.

"What's wrong with being in love?"

"Nothing." Whittaker smiled. More or less, things had considerably calmed down. The ending wasn't as dramatic as they had expected it to be. It wasn't a big deal to them. Sure, they were the ones who fought it. But at the end of the day, it was just another battle that they had won.

The weak and old men at Congress could take care of everything else. For them, their lives were the same, though some changes were made. A few months had passed since the end of the war, and since then, things had been hectic at the base. There were wounded to think about, paperwork, inventory, rations, awards, salaries, ceremonies, and funerals to take care of.

Haruka and her even smaller pack of men wanted no part of any of it. Their lives had considerably been even easier than it used to be. After their last battles, everything just stopped. There was nothing for them to do, and no one left for them to kill. They sunk into a routine and nearly boring way of life.

A clatter from the bathroom startled them all, but a nervous chuckle and a yell of apology was all it took to calm their nerves. They shook their heads and laughed. When Cho walked out of the bathroom in his under shorts, Whittaker went to retrieve his suit from his pack.

As Cho sat down, Haruka retrieved his crutches with much protest from him, "Come on, I can do this all myself. No need to baby me."

Langley sat across from him on the bed that Haruka and Whittaker had shared the night before and smiled, "But we like to baby you, don't we guys?"

Haruka and Whittaker smiled in reply. As Cho dressed, he mumbled words of spite against his bifocal sporting friend. Haruka checked the clock on the wall and turned to her men, "Ok, I'll turn in the keys right now, Lang?"

"Hmm?"

"Could you get my bag for me when you guys are done up here? I'll meet you at the lobby."

"You got it, Lieutenant." A lazy salute and a laugh later, Haruka was walking down the hall way of the average Inn, keys in one hand, and a letter in the other. The smile on her face was glowing with such intensity, it rivaled the sun.

She and Michiru had written letters back and forth during the course of the war. Of course, meaningless nothings were written, and yet they meant the world to the both the blonde and aqua haired beauty. Each letter was a promise. For Haruka, it was a promise of her return, and for Michiru, a promise that she would wait an eternity for her beloved.

The blonde brushed back her blonde hair. It had slightly grown and had a tendency to get in her eyes if she didn't watch it. She hadn't realized it when she reached the front desk. She mindlessly dropped the keys off and took care of whatever business they needed from her.

In less than five minutes, she was out by a mail box, and the letter was held out in front of her. She remembered each and every letter Michiru had written her. The worry, the longing, the yearning, and the love that she had conveyed through each word struck the blonde's heart like cupid's arrow, and Haruka felt immediate warmth after reading them.

She could only hope that her letters conveyed the same feelings to Michiru. With another sigh, the blonde slipped the letter into the box and left to meet up with Whittaker and the others. Chatter reached her ears, and the others had arrived. They waved at her and she waved back, "Ready to go?"

--

_Dear Michiru, _

The four arrived at the site just as the priest was about to begin. They rubbed the back of their heads sheepishly before settling into a quiet stance, Cho setting his wheelchair on lock.

_God, it's felt like ages since I've seen you. Sometimes, I think that the only reason I'm still sane right now is because of your letters._

The priest cleared his throat before opening the bible. He fixed his glasses and let his voice ring out clear and gentle throughout the cool morning air.

_Today, well, the day I've written this letter, is the day of the funeral. I sometimes feel sorry for myself. I think that I could have saved them if I were with them. I blame myself, if you know what I mean._

Haruka watched intently as the priest's mouth moved. The words weren't really registering, but they were a blur of sound passing through one ear and out the other. Her mind wasn't really focused on the funeral, but more on the reason it was being held.

_It's weird. It's weird to think that they're dead. I mean, it's like I expect them to pop out of nowhere and give me a hug before saying, 'long time no see, Haruka…', but then I know that they wont, they can't, because they really are dead._

A soft sob broke out here and there, but they never reached Haruka's deaf ears. Nothing was really registering. All she could think of was of the faces of the three of them. Their smiles. Their laughter. Their voices. They plagued her mind.

_I had a dream the other night. It was of Matt. He came to see me, and you know what he said? He said, 'You didn't go to my funeral.'_

The gloom of the morning matched the emotions of those who were present at the grave yard. Haruka and the others watched as the caskets were lowered into the ground. She watched as the respective families received the flags with a formal salute. This wasn't right.

_I looked him right in the eye and said back, 'That was no funeral.' He smiled at me and patted the top of my head, like he used to, before he said, 'I know.'_

This wasn't a funeral. There was no respect here. She looked around. She bet half the people didn't even know the three at all. She clenched her fists and teeth, but kept her calm for the sake of respect and honor. The rest of the ceremony went by in a mindless blur.

_He didn't really say anything after that. We sat down on a bench and just sat there. We didn't even say a thing. The last thing I remember was that I promised him that, 'I'd come see him soon…' and then his smile again._

The funeral ended, and all that were left were the actual family and friends. Haruka and her three men stayed in silence. Nearly an hour passed as family and friends wept over their graves, leaving flowers and other mementos on their graves.

_I woke up after that, and I realized that I did need to see him. I'm actually going to see him later today. I don't know. I guess that doesn't really make much sense, but nowadays I'm starting to think that I'm crazy. War does that to you._

When everyone else had wept all they could weep and finished their business at the grave sites, Haruka and the others were the only ones left. Quietly, they padded over to the three graves. Haruka kneeled in front of the one in the middle and ran her fingers across the headstone. She traced the engraved letters with middle and forefinger before sighing and standing up.

_I cried. I cried so hard, Michi. I couldn't believe it. Not just for him, but for the others too. For Riley, who was always on top of things, for Harbory, who was always the voice of reason, and for Kayman, who always forcefully shoved_ _pills down my throat. I cried for them, because they had so much ahead of them, only to lose it all in one second._

"They were buried together, just as we all made a promise to do. Check."

"They were dressed in their favorite outfits. Check."

"They were all shaved bald. Check."

Haruka began to walk away, "They were given a proper funeral." She turned around and waited for the others to join her. Simultaneously, they all stood as straight as they could, Cho sitting up in his chair, "Soldiers at attention!" They saluted, "What is our motto?!"

"No man left behind, sir!"

_I loved them. We all did. I suppose some things are inevitable. I'm just glad fate spared the three with me right now, and you. I'm so glad you, Hana, and Hiro are safe now. Nothing could possibly harm you now. I feel a great weight lifted from my shoulders. A burden that is no more._

"That's right." Haruka saluted along with them, "No man left behind."

"Love your brother as you would the mother who raised you with her own two hands."

"Protect him like a shield, unyielding, and unmoving."

"…Remember him like the first winter, beautiful and breathtaking. A sight graced to only those who are lucky enough."

Haruka rigidly placed her hands back at her sides, the others following her movements not a second after her, "Brothers, and sisters. 'til death do we part."

_I want to return to you. I want to hold you in my arms. I want to spin Hiro around in circles until we both get sick. I want to give Hana such a big hug that she won't be able to breathe. I want to return to Japan and have a new life with you all. I want to live a normal life. No war. No gun related deaths, and no high ranked old army coot trying to persuade me to do this or that._

"That, is our motto. At ease."

Everyone loosened up considerably after the order, and finally, the sobs came. Haruka paid no attention as tears slowly ran down her cheeks. She showed no emotion, and yet the tears wouldn't stop.

Whittaker licked his lips. The salt of his own tears. He couldn't remember the last time he had tasted them.

Langley removed his glasses, and wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his free arm. He hadn't cried since the first day of boot camp, when frustration and stress coursed through him like a virus, just waiting to take him over.

Cho bit his lower lip and clenched the handles of his wheel chair, nearly breaking through the leather material. His eyes were stinging with the beginning of tears.

Haruka, her own cheeks stained with ashamed tears walked forward and kneeled in front of the graves, "Hey, Whittaker…"

"…Yes?"

"I know you told me when I got here…that crying would get me nowhere…"

"…"

The tears came faster, stronger, "But," her voice cracked, "It's okay just this once…right?"

Whittaker walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. He stared deeply into broken green eyes, and his own tears fell freely, "Yeah…" Haruka couldn't take it. She broke down. Her tears came down like a waterfall, powerful, and showing no signs of stopping. Whittaker fell to his knees and embraced her, "It's okay to cry…just this once…" the last of his strength left him as he broke into choked sobs, his tears staining the material of Haruka's jacket.

Cho closed his eyes, letting the tears come out freely, yet restraining them at the same time. His knuckles turned white from the iron grip he had used on his chair. Langley watched his friend and sniffed. He covered his eyes with his arm, his shoulders shaking from the intensity of his tears.

_I want to love you, with no distractions. I want to care for you without being afraid of someone taking you away from me. I'm coming home, Michiru. Soon. I'm coming home. I'm done with all of this._

The rain fell slowly at first, only a few drips being absorbed into the dirt. They didn't know how long they stayed there, but by the time the tears slowed, their suits were heavy with rain, and their shoes muddy from the Earth. Haruka slicked back her hair, the short blonde tresses molding together in a quick flick of her wrist.

Wordlessly, she left the others and went off down the path. Numbly following the signs to her destination, she trudged through the rain, her eyes red and puffy from both the rain and her tears, and her heart heavy with the sense of loss. It seemed like ages until she reached her place.

She managed a smile. A desperate one. She immediately went to her knees and took the headstone in her hands. She rubbed her thumbs gently across the stone surface and touched her forehead on the name, "Hey…"

There was no answer. Of course, she didn't expect one.

"I'm sorry I missed your service, but I don't think I could've taken those army guys and their little ceremony twice." Haruka sniffed, "Oh damn, sorry, I said I wouldn't cry." Her knuckles turned white, "I'm sorry…God…I'm sorry…" Her voice cracked, "Damn it! I thought I was done crying! I thought if I cried enough for all of you...but you're gone, Matt…you're just gone! You just left me like that…I'll never forgive you…" She laughed bitterly, "I'll never forgive you and your stupid metaphors. I'll never forgive you and your 'ignorance is bliss' attitude. I'll never forgive you for being so damn nice to me. Hell, I'll never forgive you for loving me the way you did...How could you? When everyone else turned their backs on me…you took me in, you took care of me, and you loved me like the father who had borne me…I'll never forgive you for that…but I'll always, always remember you for it."

Footsteps and the sound of a wheel chair being carefully pushed through mud reached her ears, and soon, Whittaker and Langley were by her side, Cho seated behind her. Whittaker embraced her, and Langley and Cho followed, "We miss 'im too, Haruka. We miss him too…"

Haruka laughed as she was held, "You know…it's funny…you always think death is going to be dramatic. They'll have last words and everything. You'll hold their hand as they die, and there'll be some cheesy moments or something like that."

"…"

"But in reality, all it takes is the pull of a trigger, and they're done. One second, they're standing next to you, and the next, they just kinda topple to the ground. No sound. No breath. No nothing."

"I'm sorry, Haruka. We all are."

The rain continued on until nightfall. It showed no signs of stopping any time soon.

--

Haruka pulled her baggage along and took one last glance at the room behind her. The taxi had arrived only minutes ago, and she patted the ticket in her pocket. With a last nod, she approached the taxi and let the kind middle aged man pull her luggage in the trunk.

_I'm coming home Michiru. I'm coming home._

_-All my Love,_

_Haruka_

* * *

**Okay. Not my happiest chapter, but still, it had to be done. I had so much trouble writing this chapter. I must have re-written it three or four times before I actually went through with it, and I'm still not happy with it. But I have that feeling that if I keep going, I'll just mess it up even more. So, sorry for the chapter if it seems poorly written and terribly plotted out. :) In any case, let's end on a somewhat happy note! My A/N! Yay! xD**

**MichiruObsessed – xD you're the only one who mentioned the fact that Hal died…props to you!**

**Asakure – Michiru will have her time to shine, or cry…but same thing xD and yes! Go play COD4 now!**

**chocoXmoca – Happy the mission's over? So am I. Now no one can get shot…or can they? O.o**

**Furuakahoshi Chiyo – xD Thanks, new reviewers are always welcome! Especially ones who like little Hiro. 8)**

**Haruka127 – Ah, your review made me feel all 'aww' on the inside. The romance thing with the soldier and country girl! It's the 'awwest' of any 'aww' love story, if that makes any sense at all…and yes…Haruka was a part of our history…I swear…lol**

**Amiko-Gabriel – Sweet! I'm glad I kept your attention, actually, I'm really glad you said that, because I thought I would bore everyone with it xD**

**Reusch17 – I read a lot…I mean, I sifted through pages and pages (on the internet of course xD) to find all this information. I actually did my work! Oh my gosh!**

**Dreaded Demon of Night – Yeah, I'm glad she didn't get killed either xD**

**Petiyaka – Thanks I'm glad you liked it, I'm not really used to writing battles, so good start for me then!**

**Vanessa Riverton – NOW it's time for Haruka to go back, JEEZ I've dragged it on for long enough, no?**

**Starscream – EEP! The letter, you're completely right! But SHHHH…no one has to know…it'll be our little secret…(wink wink) xD I'm sorry. I knew I would mess up. And I don't really know what happens after the end of a war or at the funeral services and things like that, I'm sorry if I messed up, I kinda made it up! Don't hurt me xD **

**Ok well, that sums it up for this chapter. I'm thinking Michiru should have her own chapter? No? Let me know…I don't wanna bore you guys or something…Thanks. 8)**


	19. Homecoming

**Because it's been waaaay too long.**

* * *

_(Thanks to all the readers who supported me through all the crap this story has gone through. I appreciate your encouragement and again apologize to Fallen-Soldier. It was not my intention to offend ANYONE including the angry readers)_

* * *

**Homecoming**

Michiru lightly ran her fingers across the finish of her violin, the polished wood gliding under hand. She plucked at the strings and closed her eyes as the sound vibrated around the room. Her mind drifted to the one person who had plagued her thoughts from the moment she had met them.

She could see how the blonde hair blew softly in the wind, and how those bright green eyes would stare right through her. The strong frame, built like a woman, but as powerful as a man's. The warmth and softness of the skin; and the breath that tickled the hairs on the back of her neck. The smile that made her knees weak and the voice that lulled her to paradise. The 'I can do anything' attitude and the cute 'shy girl' attitude that reminded her that no matter what, she was just like everyone else.

Michiru picked up her bow and closed her eyes, her violin melding into her form, like an excess limb. Her arm gracefully lifted into the air, ready to strike, and after the first pull of her bow, a melancholy note rung out around the room. Her brows furrowed. She didn't want to play something so sad. Haruka was coming back, after all.

Her heart thought otherwise, and the melody continued to play out. Michiru swayed with the song, the tied whole notes fading and beginning one after another. The slow and deliberate song made the girl feel weak. Her thoughts were supposed to be happy, and yet she couldn't.

She kept playing, and she kept getting more frustrated. Her frustration grew so much, that a sour note was hit, and she flinched to a stop. With a sigh, Michiru laid her violin gently back in its case and sat back down on the couch, the opened letter sitting next to her.

With doubt, Michiru reached for it and re-read it. Her brows furrowed even further, and she covered her mouth with her hand, the news not really registering in her mind. _Hal's dead. _

She couldn't believe it. The hard-headed brunette was dead. The man who she had almost devoted her entire life to was dead, and for some reason, she couldn't find the right emotion to express. She should feel loss, right? She should feel the pain of losing someone important to them. Sure, she and Hal weren't on the best terms, but she wanted to believe that a part of her still cared for him at least a little.

"I thought I'd forgiven him…" she mumbled into the air, no one around to hear her. Hana and Hiro had gone for a walk at the park.

"I thought I'd forgiven him…" she repeated it. She was angry at herself. How could she be so cold? She didn't know she could be so hurtful. Above all else, though, she was ashamed of herself. Even though Hal really hadn't been the best lover, he did love her for who she was. He loved her all this time, and all she could do was look the other way. She found herself wondering what would have happened if she had continued to be his wife…

She immediately shook the thought from her mind and scolded herself. _I wouldn't have met Haruka…that's what…_Michiru tucked the notice neatly back into the envelope and stood to enter the kitchen. She poured herself a cup of tea and sat at the kitchen table instead, the sun's potentially harmful rays streaming in through the window.

The days always seemed so bright and happy, and yet she knew that things weren't always what they seemed. She sighed and took a sip of her tea, the warmth instantly falling into her stomach. She welcomed it and took another sip.

Her mind then wandered away from Hal's death notice, and onto Haruka's more joy filled letters. She found a smile appear on her lips, despite herself. During the course of the war, she couldn't deny it. She had her doubts. Not only that Haruka would die, but she would do the same to her as she did to Hal. She tore herself apart thinking about it.

She couldn't imagine doing what she did to Hal to Haruka. She couldn't imagine just hating Haruka for leaving her like that. She couldn't imagine being upset at the blonde who had waltzed into her life with a bad arm and the stubborn attitude. She was so guilty. She was so happy, but others were so sad.

Other women weren't as lucky to have their beloved return to them from the war. Several women from her neighborhood were in tears. They could be heard miles and miles away, their wails and moans being the most dreadful things she had ever heard in her life. Each time she saw the ladies, who now acted like the world was just one big room they were trapped in, she would silently pray to god, and thank him that Haruka was alive.

Michiru sighed again and looked up when she heard the front doorbell ring. Wiping her hands on a napkin, she stood up and went to the door. Light scuffling outside made her think of Hana and Hiro wiping their shoes at the door, and without a second look, she turned the knob.

When she looked down to meet with Hiro's smiling face, she frowned at the sight of two worn out military issued boots. A familiar chuckle and a husky voice called out to her, "Not happy to see me?" Michiru's head immediately shot up, and when she met the playful face of the blonde she was just thinking of, tears came to her eyes. Haruka frowned, "H-Hey! Don't cry…I'm sorry…" The blonde tried to calm the other down, but yelled as she was tackled.

Haruka winced as Michiru jumped at her. She stumbled backwards, trying to balance Michiru, her bags, and herself, "Haruka!"

The blonde smiled and held the woman close to her, "Hey."

"Haruka!"

"Yes?"

"…Haruka…"

"I'm here." Her voice was soft.

Michiru finally lifted her face from Haruka's chest and looked up into familiar green orbs, "Your eyes…"

Haruka raised her eyebrow, "My eyes?"

"They've changed."

"Oh, is that a bad thing?"

Michiru took another look at the mature and seemingly wiser emerald orbs and shook her head, another teary smile coming onto her face, "No. No, it's not." She hugged the blonde again, placing a quick kiss on her mouth.

It took nearly ten minutes for Haruka to actually make it into the house, and when she did, she sighed. She gently placed her bags on the floor in front of her, the comfort of the couch making her smile. Michiru disappeared into the kitchen and returned with a tray of tea. She hastily poured Haruka a cup, "Thanks." Haruka took a sip of the piping hot drink and sighed again.

"Be careful, it's hot…" Michiru chided as Haruka winced from the heat.

"Ahh, I've only been here ten minutes, and you're already mothering me…tell me, is this a glimpse into my future, because they still need soldiers out there you know…"

Michiru immediately smacked Haruka's arm playfully and hugged the blonde again, causing her to nearly drop the tea, "Don't you ever say that…don't you even joke about that…"

"H-Hey, I was just kidding…there's no way in hell I could leave you again…"

"…I got the notice."

Haruka blinked, "Notice?"

Michiru sighed again and retrieved the note from the coffee table. She passed it to Haruka and bid her to read it.

"Oh…this notice…you know, I was…I was with him, when it happened…"

"What?" Michiru watched Haruka closely, fearing the worst.

"No, it wasn't anything like that, I promise. Look, I would have protected the guy with my life, if I could've. We looked out for each other, or at least he looked out for me."

"Haruka?"

"I should be dead right now, Michiru…I should be dead, not him…" she clenched the piece of paper in her hands.

"…"

"He saved my life so many times. He woke me up. He showed me what it was really like to be in a war. And then…and then he died helping me." Haruka had a soft smile on her face, a guilty smile. She looked at Michiru, "He died helping me, Michi…"

Michiru stared at the hands in her lap and couldn't find the words to say. She only put one of her hands atop of Haruka's.

"…So, where are Hiro and Hana?"

"They went for a walk at the park with Mr. Ralph."

"Oh, the nice old man at the medicine store?"

Michiru nodded, "Yes…"

Silence reigned. They were re-united, they hugged, the kissed, they talked, and now, they had nothing to say. It was awkward for them, who had conveyed everything they felt in letters. Haruka fidgeted uneasily in her seat. This woman who she hadn't seen in so long was so overwhelming. She couldn't find anything to say or do. She didn't want to talk about the war anymore, and she didn't know what Michiru's thoughts were at the moment.

Michiru stared at her lap and played with the hand in hers. Haruka watched as Michiru idly played with her fingers, the simple action bringing a smile to her lips. Michiru, knowing she was being watched, turned and looked up at Haruka, a shy blush tinting her cheeks. Haruka slowly moved in to kiss the other woman.

When their lips finally touched, Michiru wanted to melt. Haruka's lips were as warm as she remembered, if not warmer. Her touch was as gentle, and Michiru unconsciously placed a hand atop the one on her face.

Haruka pulled back and took in the blue eyes she had missed so much. She gently ran her thumb across the soft lips she had just tasted, and she smiled, "I missed you…" She leaned in for another kiss, but before she could, the doorbell rang, and after giving Haruka an apologetic smile, Michiru stood up to answer the door.

Hana's voice came from the doorway, "Sorry we took so long, Mr. Ralph's stories are so interesting," Hana trailed off as she saw Haruka standing from the couch. Hiro entered shortly after and tackled Michiru.

"Michiru-mama! Mr. Ralph was telling us a story about this cat he used to have! The cat was…Haruka-papa?"

"Hi." Haruka waved at the small child.

Hiro immediately jumped from Michiru's grip and instead tackled Haruka, who found herself sitting back down on the couch after the small child hurled himself at her. Haruka ruffled the small child's hair as he snuggled into her, yelling her name and laughing, "I knew you'd be back! I knew you'd come back!"

"Of course. Did you think I'd leave you here?"

"No! I knew it! I knew it!"

Hana stared in disbelief, "Haru…ka…?"

Michiru patted the girl on the shoulder and smiled, "She's back. She arrived around half an hour ago…what's wrong Hana?"

Hana slowly wiped the tears that were falling down her face, "N-nothing…I'm just…"

Haruka gently ruffled Hiro's hair again as she stood up. She picked up the young child and approached the two standing idly at the door. She smiled at Hana and offered an outstretched arm, "Hey."

Hana watched the open arms of the long time missing blonde, and she could only stand there. Her tears spilled freely, and the teenage Hana showed herself again, leaving the mature and cold one behind. Hana instantly called out Haruka's name, in a way she was surprised to hear, "Haruka-papa!"

Haruka welcomed the young girl in her arms and balanced Hiro with one. She held the sobbing girl close to her and whispered words of comfort as Michiru joined in the hug. Haruka held the three close to her and uttered words of apology. In such a short time, such a close family was created. Haruka was amazed. _So this is what love feels like…_

The four finally collected enough will to move from the hug and migrate to the couch. Haruka bounced a giggling Hiro on her leg while Hana and Michiru sat on the loveseat across from her. Haruka blinked when a fluffy dinosaur was shoved in her face. She grasped the object and looked down to the boy who handed it to her. She stared at similar green orbs and smiled, "This is?"

"Akurah! He kept me company while you were gone!" Hiro reached for the toy and was handed it as Haruka lowered her hand. She raised an amused eyebrow at Michiru and Hana.

"A…kurah?"

Michiru laughed, "Such a creative child, isn't he?"

Hana poured herself a cup of tea and smiled over at Haruka, "Have you been doing well?"

Haruka continued to play with Hiro as she replied, "As well as a war veteran can ever hope to be." She smiled.

"I see, and you've been eating correctly?"

Haruka raised an amused eyebrow and answered jokingly, "Yes, mother, I've been taking care of myself. Jeez, being with you two is like having two over-protective mothers surrounding me."

Michiru laughed, "You're lucky, others don't have annoying women nagging at them every two seconds." Michiru instantly turned to Hana and frowned at the sad smile on the girl's face, "Oh, Hana, you know what I mean…I didn't mean,"

Hana held a hand up to stop her and smiled, "No, it's okay. I'm fine with it." The girl was silent.

Haruka smiled again, "Well hey, we're a family, aren't we? We have to look out for each other, and that's what I plan to do."

Michiru nodded, and a now softly smiling Hana did too.

--

Night came quickly to the four who spent the entire day talking and enjoying each other's company, and Haruka yawned as she stepped out of the bathroom. The soft pajamas she had left at Michiru's were a nice change from the rough and uncomfortable uniforms she had been forced to wear almost 24/7. On her way to the bedroom, she heard shuffling downstairs. The blonde peered over the railings at the darkness and squinted. A lone figure was downstairs.

Curious, she made her way down the stairs and approached the lone figure who had seated themselves on the couch. With a closer look, Haruka knew who was sitting on the couch. She sighed and stretched. The figure on the couch was alerted, and she approached more slowly, "Whoa, it's just me." The figure immediately calmed down, and Haruka sat down next to them, "So tell me, Hana, what're you doing down here in the dark?" Her voice was gentle.

"…Where is…Michiru-m," The girl stopped what she was saying.

"Michiru? Last I saw her, she was reading a story to Hiro. Man, that kid tired me out…" She glanced at Hana. She couldn't see, but she could just tell that she was crying. Haruka yawned and sat closer, "You know, my dad used to something when I was little."

Hana turned her head to look at the older woman beside her.

"He used to wrap his arm around me like this." Haruka wrapped a protective arm around the young girl, "and then he would rub my shoulders." Haruka began moving her hand slowly up and down the girl's arm, "He did this when it got a little cold at night, and he would start talking to me."

Haruka could feel Hana tense for a second, but relax into her grip and ultimately, let her head fall on the blonde's shoulder. She smiled.

"Usually, he would start with, cold out tonight, isn't it?" Haruka could feel Hana slowly nod against her shoulder.

"Well, this is why humans have such high body temperatures, kiddo. So we can keep each other warm…" Haruka pulled Hana closer to her side and spoke into her hair, "on cold nights like these…"

Hana snuggled closer to Haruka, and suddenly, Haruka's image of a strong, cold, and capable Hana was shattered. _She had no parents to take care of her. She supported Hiro on her own until she met Michiru, and now she thinks she has to be strong for us all…_

"He would say, we're family, and it's our job to keep each other warm when it gets cold…if we didn't, we'd all have really bad colds." Haruka smiled when she heard Hana's choked laughter, "You know…I may not be that much older than you, and god knows I know nothing about being a parent…but Michiru and I, we'll take care of you. You and Hiro both…"

Hana nodded weakly against her chest, and Haruka could hear the sobs starting again, "I…I lost my parents when I was twelve…I didn't know what to do…I had Hiro, and I had the home that our parents left us. The will…it left everything to us, the money, the house, and all of the belongings…it was after we moved here."

"…"

"I was so confused. What was I supposed to do in this world? I had an infant to take care of, and I was only a child myself…I used to…I used to sit at the park with Hiro in my arms…and one day, Michiru-mama came to us, and she was so kind…"

"Sounds like her…"

Hana laughed softly again, and after wiping a sniffle, continued, "She offered us dinner and kindness…I was immediately drawn to her. I didn't really rely on her, but I wanted to be by her…I wanted her to be proud of me, and I wanted her to like me too…to love me.."

"I do love you, Hana." Both Hana and Haruka looked up when they noticed a robe clad Michiru walking down the stairs. She sat on the other side of the girl and wrapped an arm around her, "I don't know what you really see in me, but I'll do my best to be there for you…and you always made me proud. You took care of Hiro, and you were such a good person. I was glad to have your company…and I was kind of glad Haruka was gone for a while…" she smiled sheepishly. Haruka frowned and gave a look that said , 'hey!'

Michiru touched hands with Haruka quickly before laughing, "You and Hiro moved in with me in that time, and we got even closer…" she turned to Haruka, "But I'm glad you're back…" She laughed at the pout she received.

Hana rose her head out of Haruka's chest and turned to look at Michiru, "Michiru-mama?"

"Ara, I'm so old, but yes, if you want me to be…"

A cough and a mumbled, "Haruka-papa," came from the head above hers, and Hana looked up to find the blonde whistling and looking elsewhere, "What?" Haruka met her eyes.

"Haruka-papa…" Haruka smiled gently and hugged the girl.

"We're here for you Hana…don't forget that, we're family, right?"

Michiru nodded and joined in the hug, "Yes. Family…"

Haruka sighed as she closed the door to Hana's bedroom the seventeen year old had fallen asleep in their embrace. She faced Michiru and sighed, "Man, a seventeen year old who was robbed of her childhood…can't imagine how hard that was." She followed the aqua haired woman to their shared bedroom.

"But she's okay now. She's with us, and we'll take care of her, right, Haruka-papa?" Michiru laughed at the frown she received.

"All in one day, I feel like I've aged ten years." Haruka laid down on the bed face up and spread her arms out.

Michiru slowly sat on the other side of the bed and removed her robe, leaving her in her night gown, "But doesn't it feel good, Haruka?"

"Hmm? Yeah. It fees good."

Haruka looked up when she felt a hand on her cheek, "I'm so glad you're back…Haruka…"

"Glad to be back, Michi." Haruka met Michiru halfway for the kiss and snuggled into the other woman, "Now let's get some sleep…we have some planning to do tomorrow morning…"

"Planning?"

"You'll see…"

--

Haruka smiled as she read the newspaper that particular morning. Hiro was being loud as usual, and Hana was helping Michiru prepare breakfast. The morning was lively, and the food smelled good, "Done yet? I'm starving…" the blonde playfully whined.

Michiru chided her, "Tsk, you're not cooking, so you'll just have to starve until we're done." They all made silent vows to never mention the war unless absolutely necessary.

When they were all finally seated at the table and ready to eat, Haruka made an announcement, "Umm," she rubbed the back of her head sheepishly, "I…I was thinking of something while I was gone…" she blushed.

Michiru and Hana both laughed and urged her to continue.

"Okay, since…since we're all together again, I was just thinking…that we should…move back to Japan?" Haruka closed her eyes, but re opened them when she received silence in return, "O-or not! You know, Michiru, I know you have a nice job here as a doctor and what not, and Hana, you've lived her for a long time, so I guess it's okay…and,"

"Haruka." Michiru smiled at Hana, "We were thinking the same thing…"

"I know! I'm sorry I brought it up, what?" Haruka blinked.

"Michiru-mama and I were thinking the same thing. We wanted to move back to Japan once you returned. We figured…it would be nice to have a fresh start, and be away from all the bad memories here…"

Michiru nodded, and everyone turned to Hiro, who was innocently eating. Haruka put her elbows on the table and asked him, "What do you think, Hiro-chan? Wanna go to Japan?"

"I wanna go where you all go! I don't wanna be alone!"

The three laughed at the response and Haruka nodded, "It's settled then. We're going to Japan.

* * *

**There it is. The final chapter. I didn't warn you xD sorry. To be honest, I didn't really know that it would end here. But it did. But there will be an epilogue if you guys want it. The ending kinda sucked to me, so I might just write one anyways :D I figured, I'm over the drama. Over. It. Bah, here are my a/n**

**XMisfitLeaderX – xD and she did go back! See! Happy ending yay! I am SICK of drama. Just sick of it! This story has way too much! Let's end happily, no?**

**Ryoko05 – awww, thanks. I don't know why I wrote such a sad chapter…**

**Asakure – Yeah, it was sad, I was probably feeling really emo when I wrote it. O.o hope this chapter wasn't as sad…**

**Dreaded Demon of Night - :D Thank you. And I was thinking of the Michiru chapter, but I couldn't think of anything! Honestly! And I figured I had delayed this update for long enough...so…yeah :)**

**Reusch17 – Thank you. I'm over the whole drama deal though. I can't think of anything for Michiru (sorry D:) and besides, if I did, it would be so…drama-ful! DOWN WITH DRAMA!**

**Petiyaka – Yeah, I think the dying clichés are the worst. I mean. If they're dead, they're dead, right? **

**Vanessa Riverton – Thanks and I'm glad you enjoyed it. It was so sad though D: why did I write such a sad chapter?!**

**Yeah, so there it is. The finale. It kinda sucked huh? Ah well, if you guys want it, I'll write an epilogue, but I'm kinda apt to leave it at that xD lazy author. Ah, again, thanks for all your support everyone. I honestly am thankful to you all, and I would literally be nothing without you. Angry bystanders included. And to address that issue again, I really do apologize. Let this be a lesson to you all! :O Don't act on fangirlish (or boyish) instinct and start writing a fic based on someone else's! It's bad! Bad! (smacks hand) ouch! Okay…I'm glad for those of you who did, that stuck with me 'til the end, and I'm also glad for those of you who really hate me but that's okay! Making mistakes is how we evolve, right? Anyways have a good one everyone, this story (along with all its drama) has ended.**


	20. It's Been a Long Time

**Because I never properly thanked all of my readers. :)**

* * *

**It's Been a Long Time**

* * *

"Michiru…" Haruka fumbled with the cloth around her neck and frowned, "Michiru…" She peeked out of the bathroom door, "Mich,"

"Yes, Haruka?" An amused Michiru came from the other side of the bedroom having just finished dressing. She watched the pouting Haruka carefully before crossing her arms.

Haruka lifted her chin and kept playing with the knot of a tie she had created, "Help?"

Michiru laughed softly and approached the tall blonde with a smile, "You still don't know how to do it?"

Haruka frowned, "No…"

"You'll have to learn someday."

"Maybe when you're not there to do it for me…which is never, right?" Haruka flashed the other girl a smile.

"You…" Regardless of what she said, Michiru undid the terrible knot Haruka had tied her garment into and instead, properly slid it into place along her neckline, smiling at her work.

Haruka turned from the other woman and checked the mirror. She gave one last tug for good measure before nodding and giving Michiru a thumbs up. Haruka ran a large hand through her hair before smiling wryly at Michiru, "How do I look?"

Michiru looked her lover over before laughing and tilting her head to the side, "Like the perfect 'husband'." Haruka frowned. Michiru just loved to tease her about that.

After grumbling, Haruka turned back to the mirror to fix her tie. She felt Michiru wrap her arms around her and sighed.

"But I like you the way you are…if you weren't something you are right now…I probably wouldn't be here, standing next to you." Haruka smiled at the words and laughed.

"Hey, I'm supposed to be the sweet talker in this relationship." Michiru let go of the tall blonde and stood next to her, checking her own get up. A pale blue dress the color of her eyes, and no make up to be seen. She contrasted with Haruka, who wore a red button up tucked into plain black slacks.

From the other room, both Michiru and Haruka could hear the obvious sound of Hiro refusing to dress in what his sister was trying to get him in. It wasn't long before a certain half naked blonde hair green eyed child came running into the couple's bathroom, a defiant frown on his face, and a fierce determination in his eyes.

Haruka looked down at the child clutching at her pant leg and sighed. Hana came in not long after with a frown on her face, and a white button up in her hands, "Hiro!" She turned to Haruka and Michiru before pouting, "He won't dress!" The couple smiled. Ever since their move, Hana had slowly begun acting like a normal teenager. Mood swings, shyness around boys, which Haruka was glad of, but still as reliable as ever.

Haruka sighed again and bent down to pick up the half dressed boy, "Haruka-papa, I don't wanna wear that shirt! It itches! It's uncomfy, I don't wanna!" Haruka winced as the child thrashed in her arms.

Michiru laughed and approached the two, "Hiro." She smiled at him.

The boy frowned and defiantly crossed his arms, "Don't wanna…"

Haruka raised an eyebrow before turning the boy to face her, "Well…what if, we got ice cream on the way back?"

Immediately, the child's eyes lit up, "Really?" His eyes darted from his Haruka-papa to his Michiru-mama.

Michiru was reluctant, but after an encouraging smile from Haruka, she sighed and nodded, "Ok."

Hana sighed herself and chided her own parents, "Haruka-papa, Michiru-mama, you shouldn't spoil him like that…"

Haruka walked over to the young lady and teased, "Jealous, Hana? We love you equally, you know that, right?" Haruka received a huff and a white button up thrown in her face as her oldest walked out of their bedroom, a fresh pout on her face.

Haruka shook her head and put Hiro down, "Michiru-mama will help you get dressed, so be nice to her, okay?" Hiro nodded and took the shirt he was handed before running towards his mama and calling her name. Michiru gladly picked the child up and headed back into the bedroom, a smile on her lips.

Haruka turned back to the mirror and watched the reflection looking back at her. A short haired blonde, a proud chin, masculine features, but so obviously feminine, and the most dazzling green eyes the world could have ever seen. She looked the same as she always looked. Before the war, and after. But for some reason, when she looked into the mirror these days, she would often find herself asking, "Who is that?"

Haruka frowned and touched her face lightly, as if it could be marred by a simple touch. Something about her just didn't seem like her. Something in her eyes. Like Michiru said, 'your eyes…' Something from her spirit, from her soul. She had changed, so much.

Haruka was pulled from her thoughts when Michiru called her from the other room. Shaking her head, Haruka smiled to herself and called back, "Yeah! I'm coming." After taking one last glance at the stranger in the mirror, Haruka shut the lights and closed the door behind her, immediately being tackled by a now fully dressed Hiro.

"Hey! Watch it!" She smiled lifted the boy up into the air before putting him down and patting the top of his head. Hana re-entered wearing a very girlish and cute pink dress. Michiru's eyes softened at the sight.

"My, someone's looking extra pretty tonight."

Hana winked, "Well, My grandparents have to know what a pretty grand daughter they have don't they?"

The couple laughed, "Yes, yes. Princess Hana, the beautiful. We need to hurry up, we'll be late. Haruka checked the time.

The other three nodded at her and began their trek down the stairs. Michiru gave Haruka a lingering kiss before leaving the blonde in their bedroom. One year had passed since they moved. Hana and Hiro had been enrolled to their respective grades, and were studying like normal, Japanese students.

Haruka found a job as a mechanic for one of the city's biggest garages, also inheriting whatever was left of Matt's funds and belongings. Michiru went back to college to study music, using the funds she had saved up to pay for it. They weren't rich, but they were happy.

A two story three bedroom and two bath room home belonged to them, along with a four dour sedan. The family of four packed into said sedan, and Haruka turned from the driver's seat to acknowledge her family, "Okay, ready?"

Her two 'children' nodded at her, and Haruka started the engine. One year, and it was finally time to face them again. As the scenery passed by, Haruka's thoughts wandered over to the two people she had avoided for 7 years. The two people who took care of her, and the two people who she assumed, still loved her.

Haruka felt a little guilty for leaving the way she did, but she knew it was for the best. It wasn't the fact that they would have tried to get her to stay, but it was the fact that seeing their faces when she left would have broken her resolve, and she never would have left.

Draping her arm outside the window of the car, Haruka smiled. She could already smell her mother's cooking. Her favorite beef stew and dumplings. She licked her lips. She didn't know how they would react. Would they be angry at her she shows up at their door with a happy family? No, she knew her parents better than that.

She felt a hand on her shoulder, and she turned to smile at Michiru, "Nervous?"

Haruka laughed a little and sighed, "A little."

"I told you, you should've called."

"Nah. Trust me, calling would have made it even worse. My parents like being surprised."

"You're sure?" Michiru's smile fell a little, "7 years, Haruka. People change, you know."

"Maybe." The blonde gave a reassuring smile.

Michiru touched her arm and faced the window once more. Hana's voice drifted form the backseat, "Haruka-papa…"

"Hmm?"

"…nothing." The girl blushed and looked away.

Haruka looked suspiciously up into the rearview mirror, but did nothing to act on it. Michiru instead turned on her seat and gave Hana a pushy look. The girl clenched her fists and shook her head, the blush still fresh on her cheeks.

The drive continued for nearly four hours, and by the time the car came to a halt, her three family members were fast asleep, wrinkling their clothes. Since no one had awoken, Haruka shut the engine off and smiled at them before carefully getting out of the car.

She walked around and stared up at the old styled house with the garden out front. A nostalgic smile graced her lips, and Haruka read the name on the plate. It still read 'Tenoh' with the middle of the 'T' a little cut off. She ran her hands lightly over the plate and took a deep breath.

She pushed open the front gate. Her palms became sweaty. She idly ran a hand through her hair as she fixed up her jacket. Shaky hands reached out to knock, but she hesitated. Gulping, Haruka made her resolve, and in the next second a knocking sound rung out.

Footsteps approached from the other side, and Haruka felt like running away. She was nervous. She became fidgety. The door opened, and a middle aged woman wearing an orange and red Kimono opened the door. Her slightly brownish blonde hair was as healthy as Haruka remembered it, and her green eyes were filled with the same mirth and mischievousness as Haruka remembered.

The woman turned her head up to look at her guest, and her expression turned blank. Haruka fidgeted under her mother's gaze. Her expression was so unreadable. The woman known as Tenoh Hikari suddenly had a jolt of realization, and the same soft smile Haruka remembered from so long ago graced her features, "My, I'm sorry. What kind of mother am I? My child comes home, and I have no food to give her…"

There was no sense of sadness in her voice, no sense of ever being apart. She didn't give a surprised reaction. She didn't bawl and throw herself on Haruka. She didn't yell or chide her. Tenoh Hikari did what any good mother should. She welcomed her child home with open arms. Haruka could feel the tears build, but before she could do anything, another familiar voice came up, along with strong footsteps, "Oya, Hikari, who's at the door?"

The woman stepped aside to let a man with jet black hair and the strongest pair of brown eyes stepped into the doorway, "Oh, well look who it is." The man smiled and put a hand on his wife's shoulders, "What are we doing, Hikari, don't let Haruka stand outside for so long, it's cold outside." The winter wind blew softly.

Haruka stepped into her old home after removing her shoes, and she just couldn't hold it in anymore. Haruka threw herself onto her parents, tears escaping her hold, "Mother…father…"

Kenzo and Hikari held their daughter with smiles. The long haired blonde woman patted her daughter's shoulder affectionately, "There there, Haru-chan…there there."

Her father laughed heartily, "Oya oya, what's wrong? I haven't seen you cry since you were just two feet tall." Haruka moved away from the embrace and looked at her parents with a teary smile. She hastily wiped the tears from her eyes.

Her mother looked past her and raised an eyebrow, "My, Haruka, who is that pretty girl you've brought with you?" Her old mischievousness was back again.

Haruka immediately wiped her eyes and walked back out to meet Michiru. She took the other woman by the waist and presented her to her parents, "Mother, father, this is Kaioh Michiru, my fiancé."

Michiru bowed and smiled at them, a sense of nervousness rising up in her, "Good day, Mr. and Mrs. Tenoh. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

Hikari clapped her hands together, "My, what a proper young lady. I am Tenoh Hikari, and this is my husband Kenzo. And please, the pleasure is all ours." She winked, "Thank you for taming our Haruka." Michiru laughed lightly, and Haruka blushed.

Michiru turned to Haruka and whispered furiously, "Haruka, why didn't you wake me up?!" Haruka laughed nervously.

"W-well, you all looked so peaceful sleeping in there…"

Kenzo raised his eyebrows, " 'all'?"

Michiru and Haruka nodded. Haruka ran back to the car and gently woke up a sleeping Hiro and Hana. She hefted a still sleepy Hiro into her arms while an angry Hana quipped about her hair being messy and how Haruka should've woken her up. Haruka only laughed nervously again, and soon, the trio emerged from the car.

Hikari's eyes, if it were even possible, lit up even more so than the moment she saw Haruka again, "My! What an adorable little boy!" She looked at Hana, "And such a pretty young lady! Who might these wonderful people be, Haru-chan?"

Haruka scratched her cheek with her index finger and stuttered, so Michiru answered for her, "They are our children. Adopted, of course, but I feel like they are of my own flesh and blood, right Haruka?"

"Right!" Haruka mentally thanked Michiru for the short and sweet explanation.

Hikari cooed, "Ara, he's so cute." Hiro slowly awoke and stretched in his 'papa's arms. He lapped his tongue and blinked his eyes, "And what might your name be, little one?"

Hiro looked up at the lady who looked like his Haruka-papa and called out, "Haruka-papa…since when did you become a Haruka-mama…?"

Everyone laughed, and Haruka set the child on his feet, "My, I'm your grandmother, little one. I'm Hikari, what's your name?"

Hiro nervously looked up at his parents, and after a reassuring nod, Haruka let go of his hand and pushed him towards his grandmother, "H-Hiro." He bowed quickly and ran back to hid behind Haruka's pant legs.

Both Hikari and Kenzo laughed, "Haru, he reminds me of you when you were a child!" Kenzo laughed.

Hikari then approached Hana, "Hello, young lady,"

Hana dropped into a nearly ninety degree bow and said nervously, "My name is Hana. It's an honor to meet you, Mrs. Tenoh."

Hikari laughed lightly and made the girl look up at her, "Grandmother will do. My, what a pretty young girl, I'm sure there are a lot of boys after you." Hikari's glint returned, and she ushered Hana in, a knowing look in her eyes, "Well, should we all go inside now? Hana and I will prepare something to eat, won't we?" Hikari gave the girl a sly glance, and Hana squeaked before blushing.

Kenzo led the family into the home, and took Hiro and Haruka to witness his sword collection, in which the small child loved. Michiru left to help Hikari and Hana. Haruka took Hiro into her old bedroom, which she found was unchanged, except for the fact that her mother had cleaned everything up.

She and her father dug through numerous boxes in search of her old toys. They soon got into a harmless argument about where it was kept, and when Hikari walked in with Hana and Michiru, she laughed, "Already at it?"

They pointed at each other accusingly, "She/He started it!"

The next moment, Hiro, covered in dust, crawled out of the closet with a box of toys, "Haruka-papa, Kenzo-jii-chan, I found it!"

The small child sat down in front of the box of toys, and Michiru, no matter how much she wanted to frown at how dirty her child was, smiled. Numerous toys ranging from race cars to action figures were pulled out of the box, and stories were shared.

Haruka watched as her father was telling another story on the floor of her bedroom. She smiled fondly, and looked up when Michiru sat down next to her. They shared the same smile and Michiru noted softly, "They're wonderful people."

"I know…" 7 years. Even after 7 years, they were the same. They didn't ask questions. They knew she would tell them when she was ready, and if that time was on her, or their deathbed, then so be it. They cared about the 'here and now', not the 'then and later'.

Hikari stood up after the story ended, and the room was roaring in laughter. Hiro let his grandfather play race cars with him, and Michiru laughed and how childish Haruka's parents were. Hikari dug in Haruka's closet and pulled out a pile of neatly hung kimonos. Haruka groaned.

"Hana, these were Haru-chan's." Hana spared a glance at her 'papa' and laughed when the woman crossed her arms, puffed her cheeks, and looked away, "I think she was your height and measurements, besides, we can always shorten it if we want to…"

The small room was then cramped with Hiro and Kenzo running around rolling toy cars along furniture, the floor, and the walls. Hikari and Hana were busy dressing Hana in the kimono, and Haruka was yelling at Michiru to stop teasing her as the woman laughed.

Hours later, the family of six made their way to the dining room, where to Haruka's joy, beef stew and dumplings was served along with rice and vegetables, in which Hiro was reluctant to consume. The dinner was rowdy, noisy, and Haruka witnessed what she had missed. Her parents were so proper with the outside world, dressed in kimonos and standing with proper posture, but when they were at home, they were no better than your local high school kids.

When dinner was over, everyone sat at their seats, content and filled. Hikari smiled and glanced at Hana, "Ok, now that dinner is over, Hana has an announcement."

Michiru joined in the smile, and Hana immediately blushed before gulping, "Haru-Haruka-papa."

Haruka glanced up at her adoptive daughter and asked, "What is it?" To be honest, she was a little afraid of what she was about to say.

Hana gulped again, "W-well, I'm in my high school senior year…"

Haruka sat at the edge of her seat, "Yes…"

"W-well…There's this…this…boy…"

Haruka's face paled, "B-boy?"

Hana nodded meekly, "H-his name is…Katou Yuuji…and…" Hana turned her eyes to her mother and grandmother. They urged her to continue.

"And…" Haruka prodded.

"He asked me to go out with him this Friday." The sentence was blurted out so fast, that the table went silent.

"Let me get this straight, you want to go out with a _boy _this Friday?"

Hana nodded meekly.

"Hmm…ask your mother." Hana turned to Michiru with pleading eyes.

She glanced at Haruka, who warned her, but looked back at Hana, "Yes."

Haruka glared at the woman, "Michiru…"

"Haruka…she needs a social life. Stop being such a grouch."

Hikari sighed, "Ahh, my grand daughter will go on her first date this Friday, Michiru, you will call and tell me all about it, won't you?"

Michiru smiled and nodded, and both Haruka and Kenzo scoffed in disgust, "Boys. Young ladies like you should be focusing on her studies, not testosterone driven wild animals! No offence, father." Her father shook his head.

"None taken. Hana, boys are...different than girls," Hikari shook her head.

"Here we go. Kenzo gave Haru-chan this exact same speech when she was a teenager."

"Right! And look where she is now! No man near her! In fact, she's got a lovely young lady who's 'not' some boy!" He looked proud of his statement.

Hikari shushed her husband and went on with her own speech, "Now don't listen to him, he's old."

"You're not getting any younger either."

Haruka watched as her family battled and laughed about who was right. Kenzo was losing though. It was three to one, and he had no chance. She sighed. She was going to lose her daughter to some boy.

Haruka sighed again and turned to Hiro, "How about it Hiro, am I going to lose 'you' to some girl or boy in the future am I?" she laughed and Hiro beamed at her.

"Haruka-papa. All this talk about boys and girls reminded me." Haruka grinned and turned to her son.

"What's that?"

"Takumi Yori told me she thinks I'm cute!" He shivered, "Girls are icky! Eww!"

Haruka laughed and patted the top of her son's head, "That's the spirit, son. That's the spirit."

* * *

**Littlemichiru – thank you for reading and reviewing each chapter! Wow, I feel honored that you read my story and enjoyed it. you're awesome.**

**Thenightwithin – Ah, thank you for your support, and I look forward to meeting you again in future fics. ;)**

**Akira-kun – I can't believe I finished this either xD and yeah, last chapter was hanging in the air wasn't it? Thanks again, and 'til we meet again!**

**Konekokoi – Well epilogue it is then Thank you for reading with us, drive safely xD**

**Vanessa Riverton – Thank you for your continued patronage here at Pillows93 fics, please enjoy this gold membership card on our behalf. xD, really, thank you. :)**

**UtsuroKuri – Ah thank you, and I too felt that some things kind of flew by. Thanks for sticking with me 'til then end. :D**

**Akuma – thank you very much for that…exciting review xD I'm glad you enjoyed it and stuck with me. **

**Petiyaka – It's one of those, 'ignorance is bliss' kinds of things. I don't know, I haven't been in a war, and wouldn't know how it feels. It's harder for some to put in the past than others. :) thanks for reading and reviewing.**

**Reusch17 – There is your epilogue full of fluff! And no! I will not quit my whining! It's what I do. ;) Thanks for your continued support, and I will see you when I see you eh?**

**KaE – Yeah. I felt that way too. Here things are more resolved, I think. :) thank you.**

**Haruka127 – Ask, and you shall receive. Was this to your liking? How about Haruka's parents? xD sorry for launching these questions at ya. :P thanks for reading and reviewing.**

**Starscream – I understand…well, I knew something like this would happen. My sincere apologies. I don't know much, and what I researched, it was all over the place. One site said one thing while another said something else. But the blame is on me. In any case, I want to thank you so much. You've helped me with this story and have continued to support me. I am grateful. :)**

**Okay, so that's the 'real' closing. One angst and drama free chapter. Haruka's parents are what made me want to write this chapter. I wanted to write them as people who couldn't care less if a hundred years had passed. They would still welcome Haruka with open arms. Thank you again to everyone. The ride's been bumpy, but we made it safely. Please watch your step. **

**Also, Thank you to all my reviewers. I'm not exaggerating at all when I say I would be nothing without you. You are all awesome. Period.**

**-P93**


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